The Penguins aren't quite done shuffling their deck, as they claimed LW Chris Bourque off waivers from the Washington Capitals and lost LW Paul Bissonnette to Phoenix today.
The 23-year-old Bourque, son of NHL legend/hired Avalanche mercenary Ray Bourque, was the 33rd selection in the 2004 draft by the Caps. Last season, he scored one goal in eight NHL games while notching 21 goals and 52 assists in 69 games for Hershey of the AHL. He's young, he's got some upside, and he's not going to break the bank. Plus, they took him away from Washington, as a little bonus.
Bissonnette, a fourth-round pick of the Penguins in 2003, appeared in 15 games with the team last season, with one assist and 22 penalty minutes to his credit. In 57 AHL games in 2008-09, he tallied nine goals, seven assists, and a team-leading 176 penalty minutes. He was a tough guy, but that role's already been filled by Eric Godard. As a result, he'll be headed to Phoenix, where at least the weather is better than the hockey.
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In other Pens news, the team released the first photo of the freshly-engraved Stanley Cup. Rings, Cup engravings...you can see how this is slowly building to a dramatic banner-raising later this week.
This is what you play for, my friends. Well, this, plus the day with the Stanley Cup, parade, adoration of fans, millions of dollars, etc. But congratulations to the 52 members of the organization who received these beauties at a ceremony at the LeMont restaurant last night on Mt. Washington. If anyone deserved them, it's this group.
To say Washington Wizards guard DeShawn Stevenson has had a roller-coaster ride of a life is putting it mildly. His father, Darryl Stevenson, in and out of prisons and mental facilities for years, murdered DeShawn's mother when DeShawn was 12 years old. Darryl would die in prison of lung cancer at age 36, with one word, "DeShawn", tattooed on his chest.
Given that kind of mental baggage tossed on a kid, DeShawn rebounded nicely. An extremely skilled basketball player, no less an authority than then-Kansas coach Roy Williams called him "the most gifted recruit ever". Colleges were beating down his door. One problem: his SAT score as a sophomore was an unfathomable 450. Red flags arose when it suddenly jumped to 1150 as a senior, so he took it again, and Stevenson came in at 650, well below the NCAA-minimum 820.
Being that this happened in the day of high school-to-NBA direct shuttle service, Stevenson was the 23rd pick of the 2000 draft by the Utah Jazz. On draft night, Stevenson was signing autographs as a spectator at a high school basketball game and ended up in the middle of a melee, reportedly throwing punches. Obviously, a perfect fit for the non-punch-throwing culture of the Utah Jazz. Or not.
Fast forward through the next few years: Orlando Magic...man shot at his house...Washington Wizards...dissed by Jay-Z in a song...you know, more of the standard Stevenson stuff. So when he showed up at Wizards media day with a backwards Pirate logo tattooed on his face, it sorta made sense in some strange way. Here's an attempt at an explanation:
On his left cheek bone is inked the Pitsburgh Pirate’s ‘P’, “for the Pittsburgh, that’s my favorite team. Barry Bonds, when he first started.” The thing about the P is, however, that it’s backwards and looks more like a 9. DeShawn tried to explain, “No, if you’re standing where Dom’s standing and looking at me, it looks like a P.” Dominic McGuire was standing directly in front of him about 10 yards away, but it still looked like a 9. I think DeShawn meant to say, “when I look in the mirror it looks like a P.” The final new tat is a crack on the left side of Stevenson’s forehead. He said it’s because “I don’t crack. I feel like people always try to break me, but I don’t crack. So, I put that there.”
It takes a strong man to put a Pirate logo on his face, so DeShawn Stevenson, I salute you. Sure, we celebrate front-running celebrities waving their store-fresh Terrible Towels on a regular basis on this site, but this is taking fan devotion to a whole new level...even if the logo is backwards to everyone looking at it except himself.
Some may consider investing $3.15 million in a kid who may or may not be 16 years old risky business, but apparently that group does not include the Minnesota Twins, who just bought themselves a few years of Miguel Angel Sano for that very price. Sano, if you'll recall, is the uberprospect who teased Pirate fans into thinking he might actually sign here for what seems like forever, but his signing means that ship hath finally sailed. He's going to the land of Favre, Prince, and Rose Nylund, while Pirate fans took another fastball to the gut. So it goes in the City of Champions.
Sano's agent, Rob Plummer, had this to say:
"You know, I feel like I was in touch with the Pittsburgh fans on this, from reading the blogs and message boards, and I feel bad for them," Plummer said. "Sano could have been a Pirate. And when the fans see the figure Miguel signs for, they'll know that."
Thanks for rubbing it in one last time. And why was this deal not done, you ask? Take it away, Mr. Plummer:
"I think contracts are made entirely of relationships, that people should have a comfort level," Plummer said. "Things fell apart because Pittsburgh never believed I had other teams interested in Miguel. I gave Neal every opportunity to sign Miguel for a reasonable amount, but he was afraid he was bidding against himself. When he sees the signing, he'll see that."
I find it hard to believe that Neal Huntington felt that no other team was involved in the Great Chase for Miguel Angel Sano. Everybody and their uncle knew there were other teams interested in Sano. We've been hearing about this kid for months. This appears to be a personal relationship gone bad between Plummer and Huntington, and once again, the big losers are (drum roll, please)....the Pirate fans. Easy come, easy go. At least we have that Zach Duke near-complete game to ease the pain this week.
With the breaking news that Frank the Tank Summers is heading to injured reserve and therefore missing the rest of his uneventful rookie season, the door has officially been opened for the return of RB Carey Davis to the Steelers. The official terminology from Dr. Tomlin is a "mysterious" back injury. Is that "mysterious" as in "imagined for roster maneuvering"?
Davis, who's been cut no less than five times by my count, was most recently with the Steelers in training camp this season after spending the past two seasons on their roster. Will this help the struggggling running game? Well, it couldn't get much worse, so my best guess is "probably".
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In other news, WR Limas Sweed (shown above in a much happier moment, before he dropped any touchdowns) could be sent to the bench on Sunday (could?), much to the delight of Steeler Nation. Coach Mike Tomlin also revealed that RB Rashard Mendenhall, currently rocketing up the all-time list of Steeler draft busts, is not in the doghouse, for such a thing does not exist in the Tomlinverse.
Injuries beyond Troy Polamalu's for this week's game against San Diego include RB Willie Parker (turf toe), C Justin Hartwig (ankle) and TE Matt Spaeth (hip). They will all be limited in practice this week. Also, rookie TE David Johnson suffered a high-ankle sprain and will probably be out for several weeks. However, he'll still be able to report for his night job at WPXI. Wait, wrong David Johnson.
The rumors kicking around were true, as confirmed yesterday: Big Ben will be the guest host of WWE Monday Night Raw at Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., next Monday. And for extra theatrics, he will be flanked by his entire offensive line, which will be trying to successfully block someone for the first time this year.
The truth is, guys make appearances during the season all the time, whether it's going good or bad. This will probably not be well-received by many Steeler fans, who believe Roethlisberger should be locked in a film room studying the next opponent. But the next opponent would be the Detroit Lions. And I'm not in the locker room on any basis, but I don't believe too much gets done on Monday nights. Heck, Ochocinco said last night that he plans on going to every Monday night game the rest of the season (not that he's any barometer of common sense). But being that the Steelers are 1-2, I expect a full "lack of focus" reaction to hit the airwaves, web, and newsprint this week. One thing I know for sure: I don't even want to think about a world in which they lose to San Diego, hold a 1-3 record, and follow that with a scripted wrestling appearance by a half-dozen of their players. It may get uglier than the G-20 protests in Pittsburgh.
Once again, at the risk of a reader mutiny, I will stray for a moment from figuring out which Steeler is most goat-worthy for a palate-cleanser courtesy of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Normally, a September Pirates game would be (and usually is) an afterthought, but today, there was a minor controversy. And if any team could conceivably come away with controversy from an 11-1 victory over one of the best teams in the league, it's the Pirates.
So as mentioned, the score is 11-1. It's the ninth inning. There are two outs. Zach Duke is on the hill, ready to close out the NL West champs-to-be and claim his fourth complete game of the season. And then, John Russell does the unthinkable. He pulls Duke for reliever Donnie Veal, which elicits a response of cascading boos from the die-hards at PNC Park.
Even better than this gross display of over-management was Russell's mind-blowing explanation:
"I wanted Zach to have a nice ovation from the fans," Russell said. "He did a heck of a job, pitched a great game. We were trying to get him a shutout and, unfortunately, they scored the run. We just wanted to give the fans an opportunity to appreciate what he did rather than the game just being over. We needed to get Donnie a little work today with Karstens and him both pitching Wednesday. It was good that we got Donnie in the game. That'll make him a little more prepared."
Now that we're all dumber for having heard that, let's break it down. Donnie Veal ended up throwing a grand total of four pitches against a Dodger team down 10 that was mailing it in at that point. How and what does that prepare him for, and does Russell really expect to sell that line and have anyone buy it?
Beyond that, there's the equally moronic logic of doing it for the ovation. What, were the dozen fans still in attendance who sat through A. an entire Pirate game, and B. nine innings of a blowout, not willing to cheer Duke after one more out? In fact, this move backfired so badly that the fans ended up booing Russell for pulling Duke. Well played, JR. I'd love to see your logic play out on the World Series stage someday.
But here's what's important: Duke wanted the complete game. Every pitcher wants the complete game. And guess what? He's eligible for arbitration in the offseason. So now, his stat line shows three complete games and one manufactured ovation instead of four complete games. If you think even a little thing like that doesn't matter to a player, you're wrong. It does. It's not just the stat as much as it's the appearance that the manager is ignoring something so meaningful to the player. As crazy as this is to imagine, Duke is one of the more vested Pirates. These are the types of things that can add up and truly damage a player-manager relationship. You don't pull a player before an individual milestone if you don't have to. And being that they had a 10-run lead, it was not completely necessary to pull Duke. To put a positive spin on it, such a gesture would actually build some goodwill between Russell and Duke if it played out like most think it should have.
Of course, the point is moot because the Pirates are going to stink for the foreseeable future anyway with or without Zach Duke being in a happy place with his manager. But if you're ever looking for an example of how "the Pirates are being the Pirates", this would merit a place on that long, long list.
There was something contagious going on in the local football scene this weekend, and it was not good. First, Pitt blew separate 10 and 14-point leads in a defense-optional 38-31 loss at NC State on Saturday. Then, the nation watched as Penn State let a 10-0 first-quarter lead evaporate following five Iowa scores, resulting in a humbling 21-10 loss in front of 109,316 at a very un-Happy Valley on Saturday night. But Sunday's Steeler-Bengal game in Cincinnati would serve to be perhaps the toughest of all to swallow, with a 13-0 Steeler first-half lead disappearing before our very eyes. A few thoughts:
1. If you want to pick a drive where the offense lost the game, look no further than the third quarter, when Limas Sweed dropped a sure touchdown (surprise, surprise) and Jeff Reed followed that with a missed field goal. Skippy might be regretting the decision to pass on that contract extension offered on the eve of the regular season, because his value has definitely dipped the past two weeks.
2. You could also look to the Ben Roethlisberger pick-six in the third as a momentum-changer, cutting the Steeler lead from 10 to four in a matter of seconds. Is it me, or does it seem like the big guy has a lot of these on his watch?
3. Last week's winning points came with 20 seconds left in the game. This week's go-ahead touchdown came with 14 ticks on the clock. Talk them up all you'd like, but so far, this defense is not quite closing on a Mariano Rivera level. And yes, I'm aware that Troy Polamalu has been absent for both games. I'll then remind you that the opponents were Chicago and Cincinnati, never to be confused with Indianapolis and New England.
4. The line between winning and losing in the NFL is razor-thin. Need proof? If Rob Bironas makes two field goals in the opener, the Steelers are 0-3. If Denver doesn't pull off a miracle touchdown days later, Cincinnati is 3-0. The truth is, either of these teams could easily be 3-0, 2-1, 1-2, or 0-3 at this point. The Steelers' final scores have been decided by three, three, and....three. The difference is that the best teams are not constantly in a position to have the game go either way. So far, the Steelers have proven that they are not one of the league's best teams.
5. Was Santonio Holmes hurt or just invisible on Sunday? One catch on five throws? I expected more, Mr. MVP. Oh well, at least Mike Wallace proved that Steeler rookie receivers are capable of 100-yard games. I thought after last season that was impossible. And on that note, if anyone is still wearing a Sweed jersey on Monday, I give you credit for standing by your man, if nothing else.
6. At least Hines Ward was able to cross the 10,000 yard barrier with his four-catch, 82-yard performance on Sunday. And nice block on the Willie Parker touchdown, by the way.
7. Despite Parker's 93 yards on the ground, I'm not proclaiming the Steelers' rushing game "back" by any means. And how about the lack of action for Rashard Mendenhall? I expected much, much more out of the #1 pick at this point in his career.
8. Be prepared for someone in the media to "throw out Willie Parker's 24-yard carry" and point out that he had 69 yards on his other 24 carries. Sorry, you can't have it that way. They all count, good and bad. Get over it.
9. Also expect to hear these words uttered by the media over and over again: "Super Bowl hangover". I can't wait.
10. On the plus side, at least we got to see some Stefan Logan magic yesterday on that 56-yard kickoff return, although he has yet to make an impact on his punt returns thus far this season.
11. With any close loss, the coaching staff will be called out, so expect that in mass quantities this week. Mike Tomlin made some questionable decisions that came back to bite the team, and Bruce Arians will also have the bullseye on his back for play-calling, as he usually does. I think you can definitely see a lack of confidence in certain aspects of this team from the coach's point of view.
12. Through three games, the Steelers as a team have five sacks. To put that in perspective, Cincy's Antwan Odom has seven all by himself, and the Bengals have 10 as a team. Something is definitely missing beyond #43 on that Steeler defense. The ferocity is not there.
13. At it stands right now, the 2008 Steeler draft class could go down as one of their worst ever. Mendenhall has done nothing. Sweed has done less than nothing. Bruce Davis is already cut. Tony Hills is buried on the depth chart. Dennis Dixon will probably be a lifelong backup. Mike Humpal is gone. And Ryan Mundy was squarely on the bubble at camp this year. I hope I'm just being an impatient fan, but with each passing week it's looking more and more like "it is what it is".
14. The Steelers are now in third place in the AFC North, already two games back of Baltimore. It's not yet time to hit the panic button, but with a tricky San Diego team next on the schedule, things need to get straightened out - and fast.
You can say one thing about Pitt's first loss of the 2009 campaign: they certainly had their chances. In fact, the Panthers blew separate 10 and 14-point leads in their still-stinging 38-31 loss at NC State on Saturday. But the story of the day was Pitt's defense, or lack thereof.
For the second time this season, the D surrendered over 500 yards while getting smothered in the passing game. Wolfpack QB Russell Wilson threw for 322 yards and 4 TD while adding another 90 on the ground in a dominating performance, although statistically it failed to meet the 400 yards and 4 TD that Buffalo's Zach Maynard put on the Panthers a few weeks ago. And the scary part is that Buffalo team just lost to Temple by 24. Wilson led NC State to three straight scoring drives in the second half, with the last one being aided by two Pitt pass interference calls on third down. Ugh.
As for the Pitt offense, Bill Stull continue to game-manage his way to a 206-yard, 2-TD, zero-interception outing. But when you're given four shots at the end zone from the eight yard line, you've got to do better than zero yards of offense, which is what Stull and OC Frank Cignetti engineered in the game's closing moments. Let's just say there were no Ben Roethlisberger-type heroics to be found, at least on this day.
Pitt RB Dion Lewis' game was a tale of two halves. In half one, he rushed for 79 yards and 2 TD. In half two, he was held to just 16 yards on the ground, yet Pitt still finagled 14 points on two Stull touchdown throws, one covering 13 yards to Cam Sadler and the other spanning 79 yards to meet the Jonathan Baldwin Big Play Quota. Dorin Dickerson contributed 52 yards on four catches, but it was a touchdown knocked out of his hands on the Panthers' final possession that helped stick the fork in their chances for victory.
So as usual, my expectations of Pitt are a complete mystery in the middle of the season. Their next game will be a prime-time affair on Friday night against Louisville, televised by ESPN2. As of this writing, Louisville is 1-1 and on their way to 1-2, as they trail Utah. The Cardinals have a 30-10 win over Indiana State and a 31-27 loss at Kentucky on their 2009 resume so far. Their offense is averaging 398.5 yards per game, so given the circumstances, the over/under on this one should be about 250.
It's time for the randomly-scheduled feature where YOU are the star, "Treats From the Inbox!"
PICS OF THE WEEK
"Flown high atop Silverton Mountain, CO this February. Thought you'd enjoy it." -- BJ M., Superior, CO
"Hey, here is a pic of our baby boy Cole. He is almost 3 months old. He is wearing his semi-Guido but totally awesome Steelers tracksuit.
We live in Atlanta, but I am a Pittsburgh native. There is an excellent fanbase down here. Particularly at a place called Smith's Olde Bar. Probably the craziest Steelers bar I have EVER been to. When we played Baltimore during the playoffs last year, there were so many people there going crazy with horns and "f - Baltimore" t-shirts. There are ring leaders etc. I wish I had a video to link so that you could see how crazy this place gets. Heck, maybe that is an idea for a future blog spot: ask people from around the country to send you quick youtube vids of their steelers bar going absolutely insane. Could be cool to see." -- Chris C., Atlanta
"We were lucky enough to meet Stan last week when we went to the Bucs/Phils game on 8/25. He was really nice, and had no problem stopping to get a picture with us. He walked by a whole bunch of people that didn’t seem to recognize him, which I thought was odd. One of Rege’s prospective groomsmen was with us when we saw him, and he asked me if he’d be able to get a suit like that for our wedding… it is a pretty sweet suit I guess." -- Lauren and Rege
"Went to the NC State vs South Carolina game and I saw two Steeler jerseys, including a Burress jersey for some reason. Maybe it was a homage to Cowher?" -- Jason B.
"I got the plate two years ago, before Steelers nailed XLIII." -- SB, New York
"I saw the license plate photo and decided to send you one, too. Yes, it's mine." -- Joseph B., Virginia
"I'm from north of the city in Sharon, and my wife and I were on our honeymoon last week. This pic was taken during Thursday night's game at a bar called Buster's Garage in Aruba! The Steel Nation is everywhere!" - Pat C., Sharon, PA
VIDEO OF THE WEEK
"To help get through the hockey-less summer months, I devoted some time creating a video honoring the many years of Penguins hockey at the Igloo. Some of the best memories of my life were forged under Old Lady Mellon's dome. I aimed at capturing the great players, coaches, fans, and moments that made her feel like home. I hope you enjoy." -- Jamie K.
"So happy to see a site covering PITT. I live in the Ohio Valley, which is like within an hour from Pittsburgh, and we get zero mentions of Pitt on the news here. I get annoyed with Pittsburgh media having to mention West Virginia like they're a hometown team. If you must mention WVU on your site to avoid complaints from readers, at least feel free to rip on them in the process. Pittsburgh is not Mountaineer country! Go PITT!" -- Larry C., Yorkville, OH
"I find this article total bulls***. These are same Phillies fans that were harassing Pirate fans in our section during our last road trip? Some dude hugs his daughter- and all of sudden I'm supposed to forgive Philadelphia? Obviously this author has never been to a Flyers game. They are the worst fans in all the land." -- Rege R.
"I was just watching Most Daring on TruTV, and there was a clip of a bunch of idiots tormenting a baby bull inside a bullfighting stadium in Spain. Upon first viewing one of the idiots was wearing what looked to be a Pirates #25 t-shirt jersey.
When they showed a slow motion replay later I watched closely and the yellow-trimmed-in-red font and the name "Casey" on the back confirmed my initial thoughts.
Just thought it was interesting that no matter where they go, and what they do, Pittsburghers will always represent their teams." -- Chase K.
"I was checking high school football schools this Friday evening (what a sad life I have) and came across a pretty odd school I’d never heard of before. Check out the 5th score on the list (although the list order could change), the opponent of Beaver Area:
“High School of the Future”??? Can that actually be a legit high school name? Are they from the future? Do they know where Jimmy Hoffa is buried?" -- Mike V., Lawrenceville
"My friends and I went to State College to catch the Ny/Penn League All Star game. On the way there, while traveling I-99 my friend says, and I quote, "You guys need to check out that license plate ahead." We did, and were amused to find Pirates legend Kent Tekulve on his way to be honorary coach for the game..When we got to the stadium, and waited in line to get Teke's autograph, ae told him that we followed him up, figuring he would take us right to the ballpark. He said you picked the wrong guy!! Teke was very nice and damn that World Series ring was awesome!" -- Midnight667
"This may or may not be appropriate for your next Treats From the Inbox, but I'm looking for some help. As a kid, I got in an argument with Steelers defensive back Ron Johnson because I didn't believe that he was actually a member of the team. I posted this story on my blog today, but I'm wondering if anyone knows where Ron Johnson is today." -- Sean
"This site is classic. It's the opposite of Wikipedia: Uncyclopedia.com, the link below takes you to their page on Pittsburgh." -- Beej, LA
"The reason that I'm writing to you today is because almost 2 weeks ago Steeler Nation lost one it's most iconic, yet anonymous, members. My uncle, Harry Everett, was responsible for adding the "YOUR'RE IN STEELER COUNTRY" sign to friendly confines of Three Rivers Stadium and later Heinz Field over 30 years ago. His death was unexpected and shocking.
While going through some old pictures of Harry my cousins came across a picture of him at Three Rivers, standing above his sign with his fist raised in celebration. It gave me chills and an idea at the same time.
Prior to his death I got tickets for my girlfriend and me so we could go to the season opener with Harry's daughter Theresa and her husband and Harry's son Brad. Since his passing, Harry's other two daughters are trying to get tickets, and some of our other cousins already have. As a sort of memorial to Harry and his sign I am working on having t-shirts made with that old picture of him for all of us to wear at the game and the rest of our family to wear at home watching the game.
I also sent letters to the Steelers in order for us to try to get on the field at some point in order to recreate the picture with Harry's son Brad in his place.
I think its important to get his story out. He was a great man and his devotion to the Steelers were rivaled only by his devotion to his family. I would be grateful for any response you provide. I don't expect you to do anything on the site but I wanted to share this loss with you and possibly your readers. Attached is a copy of the letter I sent to Art Rooney II.
Dear Mr. Rooney:
My name is Kevin Shutty and as a lifelong Steeler fan I am grateful for the opportunity to send you this letter. You and your entire family are responsible for many great contributions to both the NFL and the City of Pittsburgh. As fans we have come to admire not only the players on the field, but also your family, for running the organization with the same passion and blue collar work ethic that defines Pittsburghers.
It is with a heavy heart, however, that I write this letter. On August 16, 2009 my uncle, a season ticket holder since the 1970’s, Harry J. Everett passed away unexpectedly. Harry was no ordinary season ticket holder. He was responsible for creating a local icon. Week in and week out, season after season, Harry would go to Three Rivers Stadium and later Heinz Field and proudly drape his banner over the wall in front of his seats. The sign read: YOU’RE IN STEELER COUNTRY, and it served as both a reminder and notice to all who were present in the stadium or saw it on television that this place was special. For all members of Steeler Nation, whether they lived near or far, it was a welcome sign like no other. Harry never took out a paten on the sign nor did he ever ask for any money because of it. He was just proud to share his sign with everyone. The sign has many imitators, but his original has and will continue to stand the test of time.
Harry’s devotion to the Steelers was second only to his family. He worked for four decades for Westinghouse, he put others before himself, and opened his home and heart to everyone he met. At the funeral home the sign was draped proudly again for the many mourners that came to pay their respects. The line was out the door. Harry leaves behind a proud legacy of service to his family and community and he provided an example that I hope to carry on.
The shock and sadness that accompanied Harry’s death are still present for all of us. But I feel it is time for those of us outside of his immediate family to begin memorializing him. Prior to his passing I purchased two tickets near Harry’s seats in section 121 for the season opener on September 10th in order to attend with his daughter and son. Since the circumstances have changed, his two other daughters are trying to purchase tickets in order to be at this game so we can continue the tradition of hanging Harry’s sign and celebrate his love for Steeler football. Some of our cousins have obtained tickets as well. While going through stacks of pictures, we came across an old photo of Harry in his younger days at Three Rivers, standing with a crowd behind his sign with his fist raised in celebration. I am getting shirts made with this picture on it so we all can wear them at the game.
I’m not looking for any kind of recognition for sharing this story with you. Harry wouldn’t want it and neither do I. I do have two motives: the first is simply to share Harry’s story with you and the second is to inquire about the possibility of gaining access to the field at the convenience of the Steelers in order to replicate the picture of Harry at Three Rivers with his son Brad in his place. I understand fully that this is not a simple task, but I also know that to this group of loyal Steeler fans it would mean the world to us if we could create a new memory including this iconic sign to pass down through our family.
Once again I appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to read my letter. We hope that this can begin to move us in the direction of closer. On behalf of my family we are very grateful for any response we receive from you or the Pittsburgh Steelers. We will proudly continue to share Harry Everett’s iconic sign and spirit with Steeler Nation.
-- Kevin S.
From Philip R:
You mentioned Ben’s “18th” 4th quarter comeback recently, so I thought you’d like to see this:
The author went back through tons of NFL games and broke these comebacks down, since, like tackles, they are not officially recognized by the NFL and are tallied at the discretion of each team. Often, teams will count game-winning drives that break 4th quarter ties as comebacks, or will count games in which the defense/special teams actually scored the winning points as comebacks (i.e. Deshea Townsend’s game-winner against Dallas last season should not count as Ben’s comeback).
The bad news is that Ben really only has 16 comebacks in his career (though if you include OT game-winners, then he has a few more) – the good news is that, thanks to some major fluffing by the Broncos, Patriots, Packers, Colts, etc, many of the other top QBs have far fewer comebacks than previously thought. Here’s a breakdown of the true comeback stats for some big name QBs (you can see which teams were honest in calculating the stat and which were much more liberal with the definition):
Attention all Sports Fans under the age of 2. This website is for you! Fanbabies.com is a place you can ask questions, offer advice and submit book ideas (no registration required). But more importantly, it's a place to show off your colors and gear! Upload a picture today! www.fanbabies.com, cause babies are fans too!
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Pittsburgh Steelers: The Complete Illustrated History documents the great moments in a tradition that stretches back more than seventy-five years and offers an unmatched legacy of success. Fresh on the heels of a record sixth Super Bowl victory, the Pittsburgh Steelers are a team steeped in history and success. The roster of players who have donned the black and gold reads like an all-star team, and the 1970's dynasty alone featured nine players currently enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. This book celebrates those players and many more, as well as coaching legends such as Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher, and the passionate fans throughout western Pennsylvania and across the nation who have never failed the team that never failed them. Lavishly illustrated with color and black-and-white images from throughout the team's history, Pittsburgh Steelers brings to powerful life the on- and off-field exploits of this iconic franchise. You can buy this book right now at MVPbooks.com.
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If you're at all interested in helping the cause in the future, this is what plays best:
-Personal photos of you with an athlete -Terrible Towel shots from unusual locales -Pittsburgh-centric license plates -Pictures of Steeler/Pirate/Penguin jerseys in random places -Well-written or thought-provoking emails -Personal Burgh-sports stories -Amusing Western PA-related links
The world convened on Pittsburgh, PA today for the G-20 summit, and that meant an opportunity for a blog post - if only I could tie it in to the local sports scene. Luckily, finding some good stories didn't require much digging today and practically wrote themselves.
Want the recipe for an embarrassment? Take a baseball team that's 3-22 in their last 25, add an opponent who has owned them for the majority of the season, drop in an international conference that ties up local roads, and add an afternoon start as a garnish. The result is the first photo shown, direct from the Pirates' latest loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday. If you're scoring at home, may I first ask why? Then let me give you the numbers: the Bucs are 2-9 in September, 0 for their last six, and 56-95 overall. 11 games left. 11 games left. 11 games left. Photo two comes from Joe D. (no, not Joe DiMaggio), who snapped it while watching our city get attacked by protesters who are protesting anything they can protest. Protest! But I think this Pens fan got his days mixed up. Nice cup, though. Now let the protesters get back to their hard work, smashing windows at KFC and Boston Market (which they did on Thursday). Protest!
Remember the highlight of Sunday's Steeler-Bear game, when safety Tyrone Carter blasted off on TE Greg Olson and gave highlight shows their marquee hit of the week? Well, I hope you all enjoyed it, because it's going to cost Mr. Carter a cool five grand:
"Yeah, they banged me for the hit. $5,000. Unreal," said Carter, who was starting for the injured Troy Polamalu and planned to test his bruised left thigh in individual workouts -- without contact -- in this afternoon's practice before he plays Sunday in Cincinnati. "They said I lead with the crown of my helmet. I watched the play over and over again [on tape} and I hit him in the shoulder, I didn't hit him in the head. So I don't know. Ask the league. Of course, I'm going to appeal. I'm not going to let them just take my money just for nothing.
"He was a big-target receiver, he's like 6-6 or something like that. Here I am 5-9. How am I going to hit a guy 6-6 in the head? And I got hurt on the play. It's crazy. But that's what they said and that's what they fined me for, but I can't let that stop me how I play the game.
Hines Ward gets a new rule for his hit on Keith Rivers and he says he'd do it again. Ty Carter gets fined and he says he that won't change the way he plays the game. Either the Steelers are extremely true to themselves or they just enjoy giving away money and getting rules unofficially named in their honor. I'm guess it's the former.
--Being that the Bengals' twice-a-year Super Bowl against the Steelers is coming up on Sunday, the banter has officially begun. Yesterday, the topic was Hines Ward's season-ending hit of Bengals LB Keith Rivers last year. And Hines had some Hines-like thoughts about the incident when asked if he would do it again, given that the hit resulted in a new rule outlawing such blows:
"I'll still hit him," Ward said Wednesday in Pittsburgh. "I'll just get fined. There's nothing I can do about it. It's either that or try to hurt somebody. So are you going to fine me, or do you want me to end someone's career? I'd rather take a fine than try to end somebody's career, so I'm not going to change."
--In other news of #86, he's "Studying plays against Cincy and watching HGTV all day. Hope we can get a win and I personally reach 10K yards", according to his Twitter feed.
Seriously, what did we do before Twitter? Aren't our lives better knowing that Hines is an HGTV addict and Eric Tangradi lives at the Cheesecake Factory?
--I wrongly opined in 2007 that the Pirates hit rock bottom, but they've once again managed to top themselves. The 12-2 loss to Cincinnati last night moved the team's record to a mind-blowing 3-22 in their last 25. I'd make a wisecrack here, but honestly, I think I've used all of them up over the last three-plus years. I think apathy is finally beginning to set in.
--The G-20 dignitaries in town are getting gift bags, and I'll give you one guess as to what yellow cloth item frequently waved by football fans is included. There are also some G-20 events that were open to bloggers, and here's a recap of what was happening there.
Notes on the Pens' 3-2 shootout loss at Toronto last night:
-No Sid, no Geno, no Fleury for the Pens. In fact, only five Stanley Cup winners were in the lineup for the champs.
-Regardless, there was 18,910 (100.6% capacity) on hand at the Air Canada Centre. And for what it's worth, this game outdrew the Blue Jays game being played simultaneously by roughly 7,000.
-Penguin goals came from Chris Conner and Ryan Bayda - both in the first period. Which means the Penguins blew a 2-0 lead.
-Brent Johnson stopped 14 of 15 for the Pens over the first two periods. In relief, John Curry was 16 of 17, but only 1 for 3 in the shootout.
-Shootout goals came from Nazeem Kadri and Lee Stempniak for Toronto. Kadri also scored the game-tying goal with 1:08 left in the third period.
-Pens are 1-2-1 in the preseason.
-Local product Christian Hanson had an assist for the Leafs.
-On the fight card: Jordan Staal vs Michael Komisarek...
...Paul Bissonnette vs Jay Rosehill...
...and Bissonnette vs Francois Beauchemin:
-Two preseason games left: Thursday at Columbus (7 PM) and Sunday against Detroit (5 PM). -And finally, here's the Pens' new marketing campaign for 2009-10: "Defy Ordinary".
Before your heart skips a beat, don't worry - there is no football comeback in the works (unlike in 2008, when he insisted he wasn't retired). But former Steeler QB does have a gig with the new league as a broadcaster on their Versus Network-televised games this season.
The man we loved to love and later loved to hate will be teamed in a booth with former NCAA/CFL/NFL star Doug Flutie, with Dave Sims of ESPN Plus fame doing play-by-play and Anita Marks of 105.7 The Fan in Baltimore in the Erin Andrews role. According to her Wikipedia page, Marks already appeared in Playboy in 2002, so internet pervs won't have to wait for a peephole video to surface on this sideline reporter.
Stewart, now based out of Atlanta and married with a five-year-old son, has been seen on ESPN from time-to-time on college and pro football detail. I was trying to find some recent video clips to round out the post (here's one where Kordell talks about Mike Vick's return), but I stumbled upon this vintage Kordell appearance where he gets slimed on Nickelodeon's Figure it Out, and it's much more interesting.
Quick notes on the Pens-Habs game last night in Montreal:
-Brian Gionta scored twice for Montreal, including the decisive fourth goal at 9:47 of the third. He also assisted on another.
-Sergei Gonchar, Evgeni Malkin, and Bill Guerin scored the Penguin goals. Guerin's was a power play set up by Kris Letang.
-The momentum-swinger was Scott Gomez's shorthander at 1:40 of the third, tying the game at 2. The Penguins would not have the lead again after that.
-John Curry was in net for the Pens and made 24 saves.
-The Bell Centre was at 100% capacity, with 21,273 in attendance.
-Pens are back in action tonight at Toronto.
A few other points of interest:
-There's a Max Talbot signing at the McKnight Road Mcintyre Square K-Mart on Saturday from 1-3. That should be a colorful crowd.
-Has anyone else noticed on Eric Tangradi's Twitter page that he's eaten at the Cheesecake Factory on September 11, September 16, AND September 19? I hope he's getting comped for all those plugs he's handing out.
-The Puck Daddy interview with Geno Malkin is a must read. Tons of great stuff, and as the case always is with Geno, lots of interesting photos.
His name is Rick Ankiel. He has a glove on his head. He used to be a blue-chip pitching prospect, something went terribly wrong, and now he's an outfielder. It sounds like the script of an intriguing Hollywood drama. But the best part? He could be YOUR newest Pittsburgh Pirate.
The PG's Dejan Kovacevic got Never-Nervous Neal Huntington to lift the curtain on the Pirates' offseason plans, and the article sure made it sound like Ankiel and his .233 average will be a natural fit in Pittsburgh next season. Plus, his agent is Scott Boras, which makes this entire story about 1,000 times more interesting. This is one to keep your eye on.
The other cornerstone of the Pirates' extreme offseason makeover appears to be pitcher John Grabow, who they just traded to the Cubs a few months ago. Rick Ankiel, John Grabow...I don't know about you, but I smell the stench of a third championship parade in the near future. Well, maybe that's not a parade, but there's definitely a stench in the air.
Huntington committed to increasing the payroll in 2010, which is significant because everyone and their uncle has been criticizing the Pirates for their budget-slashing 2009 edition. In fact, the cries of cheapness are so loud that Pirate bloggers have taken to defending the Pirates. Say what you want, but this team can still draw 500 on a Monday night in September. Just imagine what they'll pull when Ankiel and Grabow show up.
For the first time since 2002, the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament will be coming to the Steel City. Today, Duquesne University announced that they will host NCAA first and second round men's basketball tournament games March 15 and 17, 2012, at the new home of the Penguins, the Consol Energy Center. See, the new arena's already paying dividends beyond hockey.
The men's tourney has been played in the city twice before. In 1997, the city witnessed a 15-seed (Coppin State) beating a 2-seed (South Carolina) before bowing out in round two to 10th seeded Texas.
In 2002, the hometown Pitt Panthers played two games before the home fans, beating 14-seed Central Connecticut State and 6th-seeded Cal. Eventually, the Panthers would be upset by Kent State, which dressed a guy who we would later come to know as San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates.
You can't win 'em all, unless you're the '72 Dolphins. That doesn't mean we don't want to try. Some thoughts:
1. Losing in Chicago is not a new problem for the Steelers. In franchise history, the Steelers have made 13 trips to the Windy City and lost 12 of them, the only win coming in 1995 in overtime against a head coach named Dave Wannstedt. Coincidentally, that game was replayed on the NFL Network last week. Nothing like a well-aged NBC broadcast featuring Wanny and Cowher going head-to-head to send chills up the spine.
2. Quite simply, this game meant much more to the Bears than to the Steelers. I'm not saying the Steelers didn't want to win, but 0-2 is 0-2, especially in a football-crazed town like Chicago that had Super Bowl aspirations. Panic sets in. Which reminds me, the Steelers are a few Rob Bironas missed three-pointers away from being 0-2 themselves. Live by the sword, die by the sword, I suppose. Either of these first two games could've gone either way. And I don't want to imagine a Pittsburgh where the Steelers are 0-2. It might be uglier than the ugliest G-20 protest.
3. Watching the first quarter, I would've predicted the final score to be in the ballpark of 49-0. The Steelers were unstoppable. The Bears were stoppable. Big Ben was nearly perfect, making the game look easy. Unfortunately, that only lasted 15 minutes, and the NFL usually schedules games to go 60.
Only seven sports jobs open themselves up to ongoing ridicule, and -- in a worst-case scenario -- genuine venom. The first two? Coach and general manager. The third? Baseball closer. The fourth? Hockey goalie. The fifth? Kicker. The sixth? Jay Mariotti. The seventh? Quarterback. You cannot afford to lose the confidence of your fans with any of these jobs. The sequence of emotions is the same every time: disappointment, uneasiness, a loss of trust, bitter disappointment, constant fear, a shattering of trust and then, finally, venom.
That being said, be fully prepared for the loss to be pinned on our fun-loving, two field goal-missing kicker, who happens to be in a contract year and just turned down an extension. But I will stand up for Reed here. This is a team game. He did not drop passes. He did not struggle to run the ball. A team puts themselves in positions to win or lose, and if they would've finished more drives, Reed becomes less and less of a factor.
5. Speaking of people who were under fire, Jay Cutler rebounded nicely from nearly single-handedly pulling down the franchise in Week One. No interceptions, 236 yards, 2 TDs, and several drops. Which leads me to....
6. Even playing fantasy football since roughly 1987 (seriously), I was familiar with one wide receiver on the Bears' roster: Devin Hester, and he used to play defense. Johnny Knox? Should I make a predictable "I thought he was in Jackass" joke? Earl Bennett? Devin Aromashodu? Wha?
7. On the flip side, a look at the Steelers' WR stat sheet shows something very interesting: Big Ben had 12 incomplete passes. Of those 12, nine were intended for Santonio Holmes, who had a whopping 14 balls thrown his way on Sunday.
8. Thank you to Vince Vaughn for attending the game and letting us talk about a celebrity not named Snoop Dogg for a change. Unfortunately, he was wearing a Bears hat. Which means you'll see some copies of Old School tossed among the garbage destined for Skippy's yard by some attention-seeking Steeler fan.
9. This guy Manning for the Bears...if it's pronounced "Danielle", wouldn't he rather just go by "Dan"? Or even better, in honor of the former Kansas basketball great, how about Danny Manning?
10. The good news is that the national media won't be focusing on the champs' dramatic loss as much as they'll be penning their valentines to Mark Sanchez and Rex Ryan this week. And well deserved, I must say. Former Pitt Panther Darrelle Revis was insanely good in his coverage of Randy Moss. How does "four catches, 24 yards" sound to you? And in true Randy Moss fashion, he was a jerk about the whole thing.
11. Speaking of other teams, the Steelers are already trailing Baltimore by a game in the AFC North after the Ravens handled Phil Rivers' 436 yards passing and the Chargers yesterday. And would you believe next week's Steeler-Bengal game will break a tie between those teams currently deadlocked at the division's #2 spot?
Beaten-down Pirate writer John Perrotto: "I love the game of baseball with all my heart but I've come to the conclusion that the NFL is infinitely more entertaining than MLB."
Sports Pickle & ESPN's DJ Gallo: "Wow. Nice run by Rashard Mendenhall. Perhaps he's only productive in the state of Illinois." and "A Jeff Reed. Recipe: 1 shot vodka. Pour it out. Now drink what's left in the bottle"
13. Anyone watch the CBS pregame show when they asked Boomer Esiason who the best team in the NFL was and he said, "Gotta go with New England, as long as you have Tom Brady on the roster" or something along those lines. What a tired sentiment and a blatant disrespect to the rest of the league. Not only are the Patriots turning over their roster, they're dealing with injuries to boot. And the media is treating Brady's time off and injury like it never happened. It's time for a reality check, guys.
14. The Chin was very defensive of the Steelers on the show, calling Big Ben the best clutch QB in the NFL today. Of course, Esiason said he'd rather have Brady. He's gotta remain consistent.
15. I was dealing with a local power-outage that stretched into the AM, hence the late posting and somewhat abbreviated recap. As always, your comments are appreciated, especially today.
That celebrated 3-0 start for the Pitt Panthers apparently hasn't impressed voters in this week's AP poll, because for a third consecutive week, they're on the outside looking in. In fact, The Fighting Wannys sit at #29, two spots lower than where they found themselves last week.
Standing between the Panthers and the elusive Top-25 ranking: Missouri, Georgia Tech (which was humiliated by Miami last week) and Auburn, which upended WVU 41-30 last night, intercepting Jarrett Brown four times in the process.
The Big East leader continues to be the Cincinnati Bearcats, who went on the road and beat Oregon State on Saturday 28-18, holding heralded RB Jacquizz Rodgers to 73 yards rushing. As a reward, they have moved up to #14 in this week's poll, from #17 last week. The conference's third undefeated team, South Florida, just took a major hit with the loss of QB Matt Grothe for the duration of the season with a torn ACL, and just in time for their game against Florida State next week.
As for Penn State, they stood pat at 5, despite the major upset of #3 USC. I guess the voters don't put much stock in a home win over Temple. The Nittany Lions have a big game coming up on Saturday night at 8 PM against Iowa on ABC, but until then, Lion Nation will have to live with merely being a Top-5 team. AP Top 25 [ESPN.com]
This may be hard to believe, but with a 27-14 win over Navy yesterday, Pitt improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2000 - and only the fourth time since Dan Marino's senior season in 1982. Even harder to believe, Pitt fans did not boo Bill Stull, actually cheering their starting quarterback in a refreshing change of pace. Someone pinch me.
The 2000 season, memorable if only for the 12-0 win that's been shoved in the faces of Penn State fans for the last decade, was a long time ago. In the years since, there has been early-season disappointment after early-season disappointment. In 2008, they followed the momentum of the 2007-ending 13-9 West Virginia win with...a loss to Bowling Green in the opener. In '07, a heartbreaking 17-13 to Michigan State served as the early toe-stub, despite 181 yards rushing from Shady McCoy. The Spartans would also foil a 3-0 Pitt start in 2006. And who can forget the monumental letdown in the 2005 opener, a nationally-televised 42-21 loss to Notre Dame in the first game of Charlie Weis and Dave Wannstedt's respective tenures.
Going back to the Walt Harris Era, the 3-0 start was ruined by Nebraska in 2004, Toledo(!) in 2003, Texas A&M in 2002, and South Florida in 2001. Even the wizard of offense was not exempt from falling on his face at some point in September.
While it's certainly nice to enjoy this rare start, it's important not to crown the Panthers as National Champions just yet. But I think things at least appear to be headed in the right direction. On Saturday, they allowed a mere 218 yards of offense to a Navy team that ran up 342 yards against Ohio State just two weeks ago. Navy QB Ricky Dobbs completed 6 of 21 passes. Six! He's practically the college equivalent of Jamarcus Russell.
The Pitt offense also came through to the tune of 27 points, and that's despite Stull fumbling on the Navy one-yard-line. Stull was 17-of-24 for 245 yards and a touchdown, as his numbers increased for the third straight week; he threw for 123 yards in Week One and 172 last week. He's shown steady improvement, and as of yesterday, an ability to really maximize the asset that is Jonathan Baldwin. Baldwin, who had relatively been held in check throughout the first two weeks, nearly doubled his 2009 cumulative numbers with a six-catch, 111-yard performance.
Although Dion Lewis wasn't able to crack the 100-yard barrier for the first time in his Pitt career, he did finish with an effective 79 yards on the ground, to go along with his sixth touchdown of the young season. And fellow freshman Dan Mason stepped in for injured linebacker Adam Gunn and made 11 tackles in his first career start. Trying my hardest to keep my expectations in check, there are a lot of things I like about this team so far.
Next week, the Panthers try to run their mark to 4-0 against the NC State Wolfpack, currently 2-1 with wins over Murray State and Gardener-Webb. Against their only real opponent, South Carolina, they struggled to a 7-3 defeat in their first game of the season. The game's scheduled for 3:30 PM on ESPNU, which means I don't get to watch the Panthers on TV for a fourth consecutive week.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced their 132 preliminary nominees for the 2010 class (full list here), and as expected, there is a distinct Western Pennsylvania flavor.
Several members of the Steeler family are up for enshrinement, including K Gary Anderson, LB Kevin Greene, C Dermontti Dawson, LB Hardy Nickerson, S Donnie Shell, S Carnell Lake, Coach Buddy Parker, Scout/Co-owner/VP Art Rooney Jr. (who I had the chance to interview last year), and Defensive Coordinator Dick LeBeau (as a player).
There are also a number of Pitt Panthers eligible for next year's class, including LB Rickey Jackson, DE Chris Doleman, OT Jimbo Covert, OG Russ Grimm, and Assistant Coach Jimmy Johnson, who went on to have a little more fame at "The U" and later as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.
First-year nominees include Jerry Rice, Tim Brown, Rich Gannon, Eddie George, Emmitt Smith, Aeneas Williams, and Anderson. And before you automatically dismiss the former kicker, let me remind you that he was the "Kicker of the Decade" for the '80s and the '90s, he's second all-time in points, he was a four-time Pro Bowler, and came within one field goal of a perfect season in 1998. Of course, that kick would've sent his Vikings to the Super Bowl for the first time in 22 years, but I doubt anyone will mention that when making their case for the best player to ever come out of South Africa.
After his 13-carry, 19-yard stinker of a performance in the opener, people are diving off the Willie Parker bandwagon at an alarming rate. Jerome Bettis famously said, "I haven't seen much from him." ESPN's Colin Cowherd said on the air Friday that Fast Willie has definitely lost a step. And Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio hinted that Mewelde Moore may be in the on-deck circle, ready to step in to take Parker's job as the Steelers' feature back, passing 2008 first-round pick Rashard Mendenhall in the process.
The debate has raged ferociously all week, but the first instance I've seen of anyone using hard statistical analysis in their case was Dutch Wydo of the Herald Standard. Using 2008 stats, Wydo outlined the case for Moore, starting with his 17 receptions for first downs, as opposed to Parker's zero. He further broke down the two backs in so many ways that a Sabermetrician would blush.
As you know, I'm a big "evidence" guy, and I've got to admit that the evidence certainly seems to hold some merit in this instance. I've always been a big Willie Parker fan; unlike others, I've never dismissed him merely because "he wasn't good enough to play at North Carolina". And as I pointed out the other day, in 2006 Parker posted 1,716 yards of offense and 16 touchdowns - one of the greatest offensive outputs you will ever see in a Steeler uniform.
The only problem for Parker is that the year is 2009. In 2005's season opener, once again facing the Tennessee Titans, Parker ripped off 209 yards of rushing and receiving and a touchdown - 185 more yards than in this year's opener. So what happened over those four years? For starters, his yards per carry has declined by 0.3 every year since then. It's gone from 4.7 in 2005 to 4.4, 4.1, and 3.8 in 2008. For 2009, it sits at a ghastly 1.5 after one game.
So is Parker "washed up"? Who am I to say? A lot of people tried to push Jerome Bettis out the door around 2002 or so, and he wound up playing through 2005. The difference was that Bettis adapted to a new role. Is that where we're at with Fast Willie? I think that's impossible to say after one game. But as history has proven, even if it is, it doesn't automatically signal the end of his career. Moore should start over Parker [Herald Standard]
I assume athletes are trying one-by-one to eliminate sports reporters, because Lawrence Timmons just broke the news that he's playing on Sunday. Said Timmons on his blog:
I didn’t get to play in last week’s game against the Titans because of my ankle injury but the rehab is going great and the ankle feels real good right now. I will definitely be playing in this week’s game against the Bears in Chicago.
I practiced this week on Wednesday and Thursday and the ankle feels just fine. I’m taking it one day at a time and will be back to 100% real soon. Right now it is feeling really good and I’ll be ready for the Bears this Sunday at Soldier Field.
Personally, I don't care who the messenger is as long as the message is that Lawrence Timmons is playing. It's not as if Keyaron Fox embarrassed himself or the team last week as a replacement, leading the team with 10 tackles. But if you can have a Lawrence Timmons in your lineup, you take it.
