ABOUT THIS LASTINGS MILLEDGE CHARACTER

As you've probably heard, the Pirates just traded for the talented, colorful, and sometimes troubled young man shown above, one Lastings Milledge. The 24-year-old, who was the 12th overall pick by the New York Mets in the 2003 MLB Draft, has a very high ceiling, much higher than that of departed OF Nyjer Morgan, who was the epitome of a "sell high" player if the Pirates ever had one.

But talented 24-year-olds don't just go from team to team to team in a span of three years unless there's a catch, and you can be sure that there's a big one with Milledge. You see, his behavior is, shall we say, erratic at best. For example one, let's go to old friend Wikipedia:

Prior to the 2003 amateur draft, he was expected to be among the top three selections, but as draft day approached, press reports from 2002 resurfaced regarding Milledge's expulsion from Northside Christian High School after his junior year for allegedly having sex with a minor. He subsequently transferred to Lakewood Ranch High School where he finished his education and amateur baseball career.

As a result of the incident, Milledge was passed over in the 2003 amateur draft until the Mets selected him as the twelfth overall pick in the first round. The Mets began contract negotiations with Milledge, but the talks were interrupted in early August 2003, when the Mets learned of allegations of additional sexual misconduct against Milledge during his time at Northside.

That's certainly newsworthy. But wait...there's more. Fast-forward to 2007:

In May, it was reported that Milledge appeared in a rap song, "Bend Ya Knees," by Manny D, a childhood friend. The song contained the words "b***h", "ho", and "n***a". The Mets organization responded by saying, "We disapprove of the content, language and message of this recording, which does not represent the views of the New York Mets."

OK, so he's proven that his judgment is not the best. But I'll be he's got some great intro music each time he comes to bat.

Make no bones about it: dealing Morgan and P Sean Burnett for Milledge and reliever Joel Hanrahan this afternoon was somewhat of a calculated risk (although USA Today is calling it a potential heist for the Pirates). But really, aren't all trades?

As previously stated, Morgan's value was peaking right now. Yes, he was a nice guy who fans enjoyed, and yes, he played solid defense; but you can't overlook the fact that A) he couldn't get on base nearly enough, and B) he's been thrown out 10 times in 28 stolen base attempts this season. Plus, he's four years older than Milledge. Burnett has had a good season by his standards, but he's very replaceable. The most interesting question I can think of regarding his departure is whether or not someone will return the favor and build a shrine to him as he did for Nate McLouth.

In Hanrahan, the Pirates pickup a flamethrower who reaches the high 90s. True, his ERA is an unsightly 7.71 this season in 32 innings, and he's a ghastly 5-for-10 in save opportunities; but his strikeout to walk ratio this season is an impressive 35:14. That's at least something to work with.

Pirate clubhouse reaction has been the typical, boo-hoo variety. Jack Wilson, obviously long overdue for a plane ticket out of the Burgh, had this to say:

"The bottom line is, even if this trade does work out, it's not going to matter to 80 percent of the people in here," Wilson said. "And over the years, these trades haven't worked. Show me the ones that have worked."

Wilson described himself as "beyond, beyond tired" of such moves.

"We know that they're looking to the future, which doesn't say much about 2009," he continued. "That's probably what's so shocking. We're five games out, and we lost two or three of our everyday players. That's what hits us the most. You can understand if it's the end of July. You see that stuff coming. ... They're businessmen. They're trying to achieve winning baseball in Pittsburgh. The biggest question is: When is that going to be. When do things start turning around? It's just hard for guys who have been here and seen these exact same trades happen and seen it absolutely do nothing. I've been here nine years. I've seen these trades 2 or 3 times a year every year and still haven't had a winning season. You hope, eventually, some of these trades will work out. It's just they haven't yet. They think they're getting deals they can't pass up. I guess. I guess. I guess. Whatever."

In his haste to push his employer down the stairs, Wilson failed to realize that many of his very teammates (the Brothers LaRoche, Freddy Sanchez, Delwyn Young, Brandon Moss, Jason Jaramillo, etc.) were acquired via these trades that "haven't worked". Hopefully, the next Huntington deal can include either Wilson, Ian Snell, or Adam LaRoche, three veterans who have clearly soured on the Pirate experience and are not part of the future.

In Washington, acting GM Mike Rizzo is telling Nats fans they just acquired "two cornerstones of the organization". That's right, now Nyjer Morgan and Sean Burnett are cornerstones of an organization. Comments like that will probably ensure that Rizzo's title will never go beyond "acting".

As for the on-field product, the Pirates shut out the Cubs, 3-0, behind three hits from Freddy Sanchez and seven innings (and eight Ks) from Ross "Mr. Wonderful" Ohlendorf. Don't look now, but the last-place Buccos are only six games out of first.
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HINSKE DEALT TO YANKEES

The Buccos and Neal Huntington just wrapped up another trade with frequent partner Brian Cashman, dealing journeyman infielder Eric Hinske to the New York Yankees for two minor leaguers, outfielder/catcher Eric Fryer and RHP Casey Erickson.

Hinske was batting .255 with a .373 OBP, 1 HR and 11 RBI for the Pirates. The 2002 AL Rookie of the Year, who's also suited up for Toronto, Boston, and Tampa, now only needs to play for Baltimore to complete the tour of the AL East.

The 23-year-old Fryer will be assigned to advanced Class-A Lynchburg. He was hitting .250 with 11 doubles, two HR, 24 RBI and 34 runs scored in 59 games with Single-A Tampa. Last year, Fryer led the South Atlantic League with a .335 average and .407 on-base percentage. So it looks like he's got some upside, although it may be years away.

Erickson, also 23, was 3-3 with a 2.25 ERA for Single-A Charleston this season. In his 18 relief appearances, he's whiffed 33 batters in 32 2/3 innings, while allowing only four earned runs. He will join the Pirates' West Virginia affiliate.

OF Garrett Jones will take Hinske's spot on the Bucco roster. Jones was was batting .307 with 18 doubles, 12 home runs, 48 RBIs and 14 stolen bases in 72 games with Indianapolis. The Pirates signed Jones to a minor league contract following the 2008 season. In his only MLB experience, he hit .208 with a .262 OBP, 2 HR and 5 RBI in 84 at-bats for the Twins in 2007.

In the end, it was a typical Huntington trade: one veteran for multiple building blocks. He continues to acquire depth, and someday (I hope), we'll begin to see the dividends. Hinske was not doing much and had no real future with the Pirates, so at first glance, this looks like a good trade to me.

PIRATES TRADE ERIC HINSKE [KDKA/PSI]

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SHADY GOT PAID

Lesean "Shady" McCoy officially got his NFL payday, signing a four-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles. Terms were not yet released, but if past history is any indication, it will be in the $2.95 million range, with a signing bonus of around $1.245 million. That isn't as big of a payday as he originally anticipated when bolting Pitt, but is much, much more than the $0 he earned last year. So congrats to him. He's in a good situation and looks to have a bright future ahead in Philly.

---

In other signing news, the Steelers officially inked 6'5", 328-pound guard Kraig Urbik, the first of their three third-round picks. Terms were not disclosed on that contract either. He's expected to be tossed into the mix at right guard along with vets Darnell Stapleton and Trai Essex once camp is in session. His signing leaves 1st rounder Ziggy Hood as the lone unsigned Steeler draft pick.

Former Pitt star McCoy signs with Eagles [PG]

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PENS RE-SIGN GUERIN, ADAMS

The Penguins embarked on the task of keeping their championship team intact, signing 38-year-old winger Bill Guerin to a one-year deal worth $2.85 million and winger Craig Adams to a two-year, $1.10 million deal today.

Guerin had five goals and seven assists in 17 regular season games, to go with seven goals and eight assists in the playoffs. He was a key ingredient in the chemistry of this mostly-youthful team after his arrival via trade/theft from the New York Islanders on March 4. I thought the price was a little high, but the trade-off in a short deal for an older player balances things out in my book. Now all that remains is the question of how Guerin will perform over the course of an entire 82-game season and exactly how much gas is left in that tank.

Adams, acquired on March 4 via the waiver wire, had three goals and two assists in the playoffs. He quietly excelled on the penalty kill and played solid on the fourth line, making his signing another feather in Ray Shero's cap. Plus, at only $550K per year, it's hardly what I would call a risky deal. All in all, it was a nice day of announcements for the Champs.

Forwards Ruslan Fedotenko, Petr Sykora, and Miroslav Satan, defensemen Rob Scuderi, Hal Gill and Philippe Boucher, and goalie Mathieu Garon are among the remaining Penguin free agents. With less than $5 million of cap space remaining and the free agent clock ready to start this week, prepare yourselves the pending changes to your World Champion Pittsburgh Penguins.

Penguins re-sign veteran winger Guerin [Trib]

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NEWS AND NOTES: SNELL STRIKES OUT 17!

--Ian Snell struck out 17 Toledo Mud Hens, including 13 in a row, during his first start for AAA Indianapolis. Keep boosting that trade value, Ian. The sooner, the better. [Indianapolis Indians]

--Time to do some social good to start your week. Like signing the petition to get Billy Mays' mug on Primanti's wall.

--Zack Greinke, who leads MLB with a 1.95 ERA, helped the Royals avoid a sweep at the hands of the Buccos on Sunday, beating Pittsburgh by a 3-2 count. Greinke, who allowed seven hits, won his 10th game of the season, handing Charlie Morton his first defeat as a Pirate. Adam and Andy LaRoche combined for five of the Pirates' seven hits. Zach Duke (3.09, 8-5) and the Bucs host Rich Harden (4.95, 4-4) and the Cubs Monday night at 7:05.

--Could nose-picker Nyjer Morgan be headed to Washington for mercurial OF Lastings Milledge? At the moment...no. But stay tuned.

--The Wannstache is signing recruits left and right, adding 6'1", 200-pound RB TJ Wheeler of Virginia, who picked Pitt over WVU and North Carolina State. 6'2", 235-pound DE Bryan Murphy of New Jersey chose Pitt over Louisville, Maryland, Michigan State, Colorado, Boston College and Vanderbilt. Brandon Sacco, a 6'4", 245 pound OL also from New Jersey, picked the Panthers over Rutgers, Vanderbilt, Virginia and Miami (Ohio). Kevin Weatherspoon, a 5'11", 175-pound WR from Clairton, chose Pitt over Maryland, Syracuse, Toledo, and Akron. The Panthers also got commitments from DB K'wuan Williams (St. Joseph's in Montvale, N.J.) and Bishop McDevitt WR Salath Williams.

--The NHL draft is done, and the Pens added an interesting class, including 1st round defenseman Simon Despres and 2nd rounder Philip "Son of Ulf" Samuelsson.

--Upper Deck recently held their rookie photo shoot, and this year they included some taped interviews with the newbs to create some buzz. For your approval, here's Shady McCoy and new Steeler Mike Wallace.

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BILLY MAYS FOUND DEAD

Ed McMahon. Farrah Fawcett. Michael Jackson. And now, Pittsburgh's own Billy Mays. The 50-year-old pitchman, who hails from McKees Rocks, was found dead at his home in Tampa, Florida, early this morning. He had just returned back from taping a new spot for Oxiclean in Philadelphia. As of now, there is no foul play suspected, and an autopsy should be completed by tomorrow.

Mays is most famous for his "As seen on TV" product pitches, including Oxiclean, Kaboom!, Mighty Putty, Samurai Shark, and Awesome Auger. He's also been part of a recent ad campaign for ESPN 360 as well as a Discovery Channel show called Pitchmen.

I'm sure you've probably seen his infomercials thousands of times, but here's a bit he did for a morning show where he orders from a drive-thru in his patented style. We'll never look at an infomercial the same. Pittsburgh and the country will miss you, Billy.



Pitchman Billy Mays Found Dead [TMZ]
'Life's a pitch' for McKees Rocks native Billy Mays [Trib]

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UMMMM....

The city of Pittsburgh, myself included, is pretty much speechless with the outcome of last night's NBA draft. Dejuan Blair, rumored to go as high as 10th overall, slipped to San Antonio at 37. Sam Young, also thought of as a potential first-rounder, went a pick ahead of Blair at 36 to Memphis. If not for the sudden death of Michael Jackson, this certainly would've been the most shocking news I heard yesterday.

In following a recent trend of Pitt athletes leaving early, the results ended up being much less than anticipated. Lesean McCoy, one of the top running backs in college football last season, went a disappointing 50th to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL draft.

I'm searching for answers as to why Blair fell so far, and the best I can come up with would be his knees, which were operated on twice while in high school. Still, he got picked behind a guy from the Congo and a guy who needs a liver transplant. I guess NBA GMs must not have seen Blair dominate #2 overall pick Hasheem Thabeet twice last season.

As for Young, his age (24) apparently did him in, sending him to the basketball Siberia of Memphis, Tennessee, where careers to go die. I mean, at least Blair gets to play with Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Richard Jefferson, etc. Young is going to a team that was 24-58 last year and is most famous for helping the Lakers to the Finals last year and the title this year by gifting them Pau Gasol. Good luck with that.

Now, these two young men have to earn their contracts and their PT. There are no guarantees. They literally lost millions of dollars last night. For their sake, I hope they both attach super-size chips on their shoulder immediately. If not, they can give Chris Taft a call and compare stories of whose draft-day story was worse.

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DRAFT DAY

Tonight's a big night for the Pitt Panthers basketball program, which hopes to have two players drafted in the first round of the NBA draft for the first time since 1988. That's when the 76ers took Charles Smith third overall (and immediately sent him to the Clippers), and the Nuggets took Jerome Lane with the 22nd pick.

Smith played nine years in the league, averaging 14.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, and came within a game of winning a ring with the 1993-94 New York Knicks, who lost in a Game Seven to Hakeem and the Houston Rockets.

Lane's pro career never quite reached the same heights. In parts of five seasons, he started just 79 games, with 71 of those coming between 1989-90 and '90-91. His career averages were 5.3 points and 5.8 rebounds, and not once did he ever send it in quite like he did at Pitt.

Sorry. I had to.

This year, the Panthers have another high-end pair of prospects in Sam Young and Dejuan Blair, who are both projected as first-rounders. Blair's been mentioned as high as 10th, although Draft Express actually has Young at 18 to Minnesota and Blair going 21 to the Hornets, a pick behind Tyler Hansbrough. NBAdraft.net has Blair to Chicago at 16 and Young to Sacramento at 31. Then again, NBAdraft.net once had Chris Taft in a mock draft as the #2 overall pick. So take that for whatever you think it's worth.

Blair has lost 30 pounds while training at the IMG Academy, trying to boost a profile that's taken a bit of a hit because of dual ACL tears during his high school career. Young has worked out for Minnesota, Golden State, Indiana, Detroit, Chicago, New Orleans, Charlotte, Utah and Sacramento, and has had, by all accounts, a solid performance on the workout circuit. Tyrell Biggs is also available as a potential dark-horse pick later in the draft, but that remains a long shot, despite his strong workouts.

Pitt's only had two players drafted in the first round since 1989: Eric Mobley in 1994 and Vonteego Cummings in 1999. So this is a big night for the program and for the young men whose lives will change forever. Coverage starts at 7 PM on the WWL, so be prepared for a 24-hour window of learning about who Ricky Rubio is and why Blake Griffin was the subject of an open letter from Bill Simmons detailing the excruciating history of his new team.

Pitt could have two first-rounders in NBA draft [PG]

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NYJER MORGAN PICKS A WINNER

Hockey-loving Nyjer Morgan made Wednesday night's Pirate game infinitely more interesting by digging for gold in the bottom of the first. Nostril penetration? Oh yeah. This was clearly a pick, not a scratch.

*1,000 thank yous to Eric for the video

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THINGS THAT I MISSED

I was away from the net for the better part of Tuesday, which meant people had an entire day to spend with a story about a 17-year-old Penguins publication that I found in a random box of junk. That's some quality blogging. I'm sure you were thrilled with that option in lieu of breaking news about the Steelers signing Max Starks to a long-term deal, but I promise to make it up with a giant segment of The News later this week (which reminds me to remind you: please send in your pics, links, emails, thoughts, and stories for this week's installment). So with that as the backdrop, let me try and do a little catch-up.

--Max Starks got paid. Again. His new deal runs through 2012, a four-year, $26.3 million deal with a $10 million signing bonus. He's taken some criticism for accepting an extra $1.55 million in guaranteed money in lieu of free agency during an uncapped year, but the deal must have made sense to him. And it's a good deal for the team, as it frees up cap space. Basically, we should all put on our black-and-gold goggles and clap in approval.

--Fernando Bryant, who played in all of two games as a Steeler, retired this week. He was inactive for all of the playoff games, but he filled a need after the secondary began dropping like flies in November. No one expected him back for 2009, and besides, we've got William Gay to liven things up in the secondary now. We won't even miss Bryant.

--Dejan Kovacevic gave a list of 10 reasons to get excited about the Pirates-Indians series. Dejan's a tremendously talented guy who's written some fantastic stuff, but I'm going to have to agree with Mark Madden's Tuesday thought on this one: this was just an unnecessary article, even though it was done "in fun". I'm sorry, but as a fan, I don't consider this matchup a rivalry. At all. In fact, I don't know how anybody could consider it a rivalry. And I could care less about the "city of Cleveland" angle at this point. We get Hammer vs. Nail twice a year in football, and that's been a dead rivalry for years now. So what's the point of this article? Is the PG trying to help sell Pirate tickets? I'm lost.

--As for the first game of this compelling series between two teams that are a combined 20 games under .500, the Pirates dropped it, due in great part to a starting pitcher who couldn't get past the third inning.

Ian Snell gave up four hits, three walks, and four earned runs in 2 2/3 innings of work, running his record to an unfathomable 2-8. The Pirates got two hits each from Adam LaRoche, Robinson Diaz, and Jack Wilson, but it was a lost cause. The Tribe took Game One, 5-4, behind two RBI from Grady Sizemore and three from Jhonny Peralta. And attendance was 19,109 (49.8% full). So I guess Pittsburgh doesn't care after all.
On Wednesday, the matchup is Carl Pavano (that Carl Pavano?) (5.73, 6-5) against Zach Duke (3.18. 7-5). Good tickets still available.

--Don't forget, "The Pittsburgh Kid", sometimes-troubled Paul Spadafora (41-0-1) will fight Ivan Bustos (27-12-3), of Buenos Aires, Argentina, in a 10-round junior welterweight bout on Wednesday night at the Amphitheatre at Station Square.

--6'6", 266 pound DE T.J. Clemmings chose the Pitt Panthers over Penn State, Notre Dame, Florida, Tennessee, South Carolina, Rutgers and Miami. He joins safety Jeff Knox, another recent commit, who chose Pitt over Penn State, Michigan, Michigan State and Iowa. So things are looking up in Wannyville.

--Here's a great article about the "Yinzerfication" of Vladimir and Natalia Malkin, who, with son Geno, have become Pittsburgh's unofficial First Family. And the city's premier source for high-end Borscht.

--Former big-leaguer Matt Clement is the new hoops coach at Butler high. In addition to a nine-year career in MLB, Clement was the starting point guard on Butler's 1993 WPIAL Class AAAA finalist team and was recruited by some Division I schools for basketball. I'm going out on a limb to say he's got the biggest bank account of any WPIAL basketball coach past or present.

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HIGHWAY SAFETY WITH THE '92 PENS

I'm a nostalgic nerd, and nostalgic nerds occasionally take trips down memory lane when a room in the house needs cleaned out. This was last done sometime in November, when I unearthed a 1989 Penguins program that held gems like this inside:

This time, another room, another box of miscellaneous stuff. And today's treasure is something I pray will be re-made in the near future...the 1992 Pittsburgh Penguins Highway Safety activity book, a joint venture between the team and the Allegheny County Health Department.

As the title implies, highway safety = Stanley Cups. It's a proven formula. Take this year, for instance. Did you hear of any Penguins being unsafe behind the wheel? And what happened a few months later, you ask? I think the picture illustrates my point. The secret is out: much like Craig Patrick did years ago, Ray Shero targets good drivers when putting together a roster.

Now it's time for some messages from individual players. Let's start with a well-known choir boy, Kevin "Artie" Stevens:

We could go a million different directions there, but I'll let you produce your own one-liners on that one.

We move next to Ron Francis, who delivers an important message on safety belts. Because if people in this country have a common problem, it's not putting on a safety belt in the right fashion. I usually get tangled in mine with little to no effort. But I'm curious, are seat belts an area of expertise for Francis? And what are the odds the Allegheny County Health Department really sat down him for this quote? Finally, it's Ulf Samuelsson, showing you equal ways to get plastered when choosing different types of booze. That's right, only five ounces of wine gives you the same effect as 12 ounces of beer! And to back him up, Jim Paek reminds us that, contrary to what you've heard, some people don't drink alcohol. And yes, that is an actual quote from Jim Paek.

I know, I know, their hearts were in the right place. They didn't produce this book years ago with the intention that some wise-acre was going to dissect it with his fellow wise-acre buddies years later. But that's the charm of our latest treasure of the basement. And like I said, about that sequel...how's this for a cover shot?
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KEITH BULLUCK VS. THE STEELERS, ROUND TWO

Everyone remembers this incident from last year's 31-14 Titans victory over the Steelers in week 16. It was an ugly moment in Steeler history, to say the least. On a 1-10 scale, Yinzer outrage was a solid 19. To quote the great Dr. Peter Venkman, "Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria."

What happened next was karmic retribution for lead Towel-stomper Keith Bulluck and the Titans. Tennessee would go on to implode in their only playoff game, a three-turnover beauty against Bert Flacco and Baltimore, the very team that would eventually fall to the Steelers in the AFC Championship. Pittsburgh would then get a few all-time-great plays in the Super Bowl and win their sixth title. As for Bulluck, his story ended the way you'd expect: getting hate mail from Steeler fans a little more than a week later.

In this video, taped last Friday, Bulluck revealed a note that he received in February, that read like this:

“On behalf of Steelers Nation, we would like to present you with our new Terrible Towel. Hang this up in your locker room.

Sincerely, the Black and Gold

P.S.: I hope you enjoyed the Super Bowl.”

I'll be totally honest with you...I love the Steelers more than most things in life, and after winning the Super Bowl, sending a note and a towel to Keith Bulluck was absolutely nowhere on my radar. Then again, I could never get so angry that I'd dump garbage on Tommy Maddox's lawn, so maybe I'm not as devoted to the cause as some others.

Regardless, Bulluck has been holding onto his souvenir for, oh, four months now, which sets a nice backdrop for this year's Thursday-night Week One opener: Tennessee at Pittsburgh. Odds are that Bulluck will see quite a few towels and hear even more profane insults on that night.

Bulluck said he will not stomp on any more towels, but he mused that he may try to bury it a la the Red Sox fans burying a David Ortiz jersey in Yankee Stadium. So let's backtrack...he's going to bury a Terrible Towel...in Heinz Field? That doesn't entirely make sense, but let's not forget, he plays on a team that's employed the likes of Pacman Jones, Vince Young, and Albert Haynesworth. Not making sense is a way of life in Tennessee.

Note to Keith: if Terrible Towels are in your head the entire offseason, it's probably not a good sign. But we are looking forward to seeing you on September 10. Sincerely, the Black and Gold.

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CITY OF CHAMPIONS, THE VIDEO

Found this gem in my inbox this morning and it is impressive. Take a few minutes to view this and reflect back on just how amazing 2009 has been (so far). I've said it before and I'll say it again: at the moment, we're the luckiest sports fans on Earth.

UPDATE:

Click here for the "sequel" to this video!

UPDATE II:

Here's another video featuring the first City of Champions season in '79 and the current season

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THE NEWS: PART DEUX

READER PICS OF THE WEEK
"From the collection of Mario's legendary wine cellars comes...Yeah, I ripped off the old Seahawks whine image and made this new version. The handshake incident required it." -- Steve B.

"I've created a picture celebrating the city's two championships this year. I thought I'd share it with you and your readers." -- Mike B., Red Fox PhotoThe newest sign in the Burgh, courtesy of our old pal, Dave Dameshek

"I had the great opportunity to go to Detroit for game 7. Three pics I thought you might enjoy. One is of Kevin Stevens (man he got big) and the second….well it seems someone (probably a Talbot) found the octopus and threw it back in the stands. The Pens fans enjoyed taking pictures with it." -- Ed H.

"Here are some pretty good pictures in the locker room with our boys celebrating with the cup." -- Mike C.

"I am attaching two photos from my wedding this weekend. We had a hockey themed wedding on June 13th which was timed beautifully, albeit completely coincidentally. B/c of the Penguins and the themed wedding, our story was featured on the front page of the PG on June 12th (Game 7 Tests Rivalries) and then we were interviewed on KDKA and WPXI 3 separate times. We had pucks as favors, hockey players as table names (we sat at the Mario Lemieux table, my best man sat at the Sidney Crosby Table), a hockey player cake topper, a ceremonial puck drop to start the reception, and then a mini-Stanley Cup there for everyone to drink out of.

Attached is the puck drop from our wedding and WPXI filming us in front of the Igloo." -- Joe B.

"Here is a screen grab from the NBC feed from last friday night, CBC never showed this angle. It is a great view from Talbot's back, so it was exactly what he was seeing. You don't need Gino's hands to find the twine with that much net showing. Talbot put it in just the right spot, but I do not believe Osgood knew where the pipes were behind him. GO PENS!" -- Matt P.

EMAIL OF THE WEEK

"Your linking of the Collier story reminded me of that one, plus two
other beauties from this season..

3) Wilbon's extremely accurate "Malkin sucks and Ovechkin is also
clearly better than Crosby because he recorded more hits than Crosby
in game 2" piece

2) Burnside's "Caps are NHL's best young team" story after the Caps
somehow took a 2-0 lead on us (despite being clearly outplayed for
long stretches by the Pens)

1) Collier's "season is over" public service announcement from February"
From Sam S.

REQUEST LINE

"Did anyone else pick-up on the exchange between Kris Letang and Alison Morris the other day on KDKA’s broadcast of the parade?

Alison Morris was at the beginning of the parade interviewing players and such as they began the parade route. I can’t recall exactly what was said but she said something like “hey, there goes Kris Letang” and when he heard his name he turned to see who it was and waved and blew her a kiss. She commented something like “oh wow, that just made my day” kind of in a subtle, subdued, sexy kinda voice. I really think she may have wet her pants, if you know what I mean. Kind of interesting now that her boyfriend has moved south to Atlanta. I only get to listen to Madden for about an hour each day and I haven’t heard him comment on it yet, you know with his pension for news broadcasters and I know Letang is one of his favorites on the team. I’ve tried to find the clip on-line but cannot (not sure if KDKA would want it out there, it was that obvious) My wife even commented. Just curious if anyone else picked up on it or sent in the clip????" -- John M.


"I've been mildly perplexed as to who does the synthetic voice of Steely McBeam on the DVE morning show, I have a good guess now - it's Mark Madden. A lot of Steely's remarks (like "That's neither here nor there") sound a lot like Madden responses." -- Jason G.

FRIDAY NIGHT FIGHTS
Don't forget, there's Golden Glove boxing Friday night at 8 PM, sponsored by ESPN Radio 1250 and the Pittsburgh Athletic Association

VIDEOS, VIDEOS, VIDEOS


Here's gravel-voiced Scott Ferrall, Pittsburgh's own and now on Howard 101, calling the end of Game 7

And here's Scott Paulsen's newest release, a Marian Hossa-inspired tune

LINKS

PENS/NHL:

Steigy taking a camera pic of Geno. Instant classic. [PG]

--Alexander Ovechkin won his second straight Hart Trophy, but Geno Malkin still has the Cup. [96.1 Kiss Freak Show Blog]

--Sergei Gonchar on TMZ? Trust me, this is worth a click. [TMZ.com]

--Breaking news: Marian Hossa's going to sign with whatever team promises to not make fun of him. That eliminates Pittsburgh and Detroit. [Sports Pickle]

--Could Petr Sykora and Miroslav Satan be bound for the KHL? [Russia Today]

--Barack Obama called Dan Bylsma to congratulate him on the Pens' Cup win and invite the Pens to the White House in the fall. Was he wearing this jersey when he made the call? [ESPN]

-- Pittsburgh is now the envy of both D.C. AND Baltimore. Now that's something to be proud of. [Bleacher Report]

--And Jay Mariotti says "Pittsburgh rules". That's cool...I guess. [Fanhouse]

--Always pleasant Tom Barrasso just got a job promotion! [Puck Daddy]

--Finally, a voice outside of Pittsburgh tells people to give Sid a break. [Sportsnet.ca]

--Famous last words from Chris Osgood: "I just know how to win games." [Faceoff.com]

--Here's 56 great shots from the Stanley Cup. I must say, the photographers brought their A-game this year. [Talent Network News]

MLB/PIRATES:

--From emailer Terry K.: "I don't know if you've seen this yet. A high school pitcher in Iowa pitched a perfect game, and struck out all 18 batters he faced (the game was called after 6 innings due to the 10-run rule). And oh yeah, he's the Pirates 26th round draft pick." [Chicago Tribune]

--The Pirates dropped a 5-1 decision to Minnesota on Thursday night, losing two of three to the Twins in the series. Nick Blackburn limited the Bucs to six hits (two coming from Brandon Moss) and threw a complete game.

Mr. Wonderful, Ross Ohlendorf (4.56, 6-5) takes on Jason Marquis (3.77, 8-4) in the first of a three-game set with Colorado on Friday. [ESPN]

GOLF:

--The U.S. Open is coming back to Oakmont...in 2016. Hey, seven years isn't as long as it sounds. It's actually longer. [PG]

NFL/STEELERS:

--This got lost in the shuffle last week, but Fox's NFL player rankings finally show some love to the often-dissed Steelers and their QB. [Fox Sports]

--The A&L Motors vs. Verron Haynes bad check case is going to trial in September. Don't forget, he's an Atlanta Falcon now. [PG]

--Former Steeler Robin Cole has gotten into the cheesecake business. I'm guessing that's probably a first for a former NFL player.

PITT:

--Here's everything you need to know about the extremely popular Pittsburgh summer basketball league. [Pittsburgh Basketball Club]

--Pitt sophomore Ashton Gibbs makes the Dixon-coached USA under-19 World Championship team, while incoming freshman Dante Taylor does not. The 12-man team will play at the 2009 FIBA U19 World Championship July 2-12 in Auckland, New Zealand. [Trib]

--From emailer The Grizzly Blair: "I just saw a commercial about a new show on Oxygen featuring people dancing to lose weight. The one contestant looked an awful lot like Levance Fields. It isn't, but still gave me a good laugh."

MISCELLANY:

--The Artie Lange tour goes to the Adam Carolla podcast. In other Artie news, he's been banned from HBO Sports and The Tonight Show. But good news for Buck - his ratings showed a huge increase over Bob Costas'. [AdamCarolla.com, NJ.com, The Big Lead]

--Bad news for Molson retirees: no more free beer! [MSNBC]

--The upcoming G-20 summit is going to pack world leaders into the Nemacolin Woodlands resort. [WPXI]

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for...the
PENGUIN PHOTO WINNERS:
1. Ed H.
2. Mike C.
3. Steve B.
4. Joe B.
5. Bob F.

Remember, you can buy 8x10 and 16x20 Pens photos from the regular season, playoffs, Cup, and parade, as well as authenticated Penguin autographs, at The Steel City Auctions Gallery. Pics start at just $4.99! And get free shipping and a free Sid rookie card when you use the coupon mondesi on orders of $50+!

Thanks to everyone who sent in pics, emails, and links. You've outdone yourselves.

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