TODAY'S HEADLINES

Olympic Penguins: Sidney Crosby and Marc-Andre Fleury will don the Team Canada sweaters at the 2010, as informed today by Steve Yzerman, the team's executive director. Both young men will be making their Olympic debuts, although they have seen action in international play for Canada several times already.

Crosby and Fleury join Penguin teammates Evgeni Malkin and Sergei Gonchar (Russia) as participants in the games, with Brooks Orpik, Bill Guerin, and Alex Goligoski looming as possibilities for the yet-to-be-named US team. Former Pens Jaromir Jagr (Czech Republic) and Miroslav Satan (Slovakia) will also be participating. [PittsburghPenguins.com]

Steelers Pro Bowl snubs thrown a bone: QB Ben Roethlisberger, TE Heath Miller, and LB LaMarr Woodley were all named as first alternates for the 2010 Pro Bowl in Miami, meaning the minute a player at their position drops out, they will be able to participate in the game. And being that many players bail out on the Pro Bowl when it's in Hawaii, the fact that it's taking place in Miami should cause even more excuses from veterans with a been-there, done-that mentality. So odds are that one or all of these three will find their way to the game. [Times Online]

No Troy on Sunday: It's looking like safety Troy Polamalu will not be playing in the Steelers' regular season finale on Sunday at Miami. Although Polamalu participated in practice today, he acknowledged that it would be unreasonable for him to play against the Dolphins. This lack of game action must be killing Head and Shoulders. [PG]

Cowher to the Bills? The latest rumor has the former Steeler coach being "impressed" with the Bills organization. I can think of a number of ways to describe the Bills' organization, but impressive would not be one of them. [USA Today]

Apologies Offered to the Pirate Nation: SI writer Jeff Pearlman publicly chastises himself for a weak column on the Pirates he recently posted on SI.com. As I said in my year-end post, there are some incredibly passionate Bucco fans out there, and they refuse to go quietly. [JeffPearlman.com]

Revisiting the 2008 Pirates: Dejan Kovacevic looked back at the Bucs' 2008 squad and figured that the eight starting position players alone would make $46.45 million, in 2010 salaries, and that's with zero dollars spent on pitching. So basically, it would still be a bad team that costs even more money. [PBC Blog]

Flying weiners in Fayette County: This has to be the excerpt of the month for December:

"A Uniontown woman was cited for harassment Monday after she allegedly got into an argument about Christmas at a local eatery and then hurled a hot dog at an employee.

Uniontown police Officer Jennifer Field said that Ruth Wilson, 57, was cited for harassment after she tossed the condiment-laden frankfurter at Rhonda David at Hot Diggity Dogs restaurant on Beeson Avenue." [Herald Standard]

Headline of the Day: "Drunk off-duty firefighter stole casino truck".

Airborne hot dogs, drunk firemen stealing casino trucks...what's Western PA coming to? [Trib]

Jersey Shore/North Shore Pittsburgh parody: From the always-creative minds at Benstonium:


And to close, here's a take on Jay-Z and Alicia Keys' wildly popular "New York State of Mind", but with a Yinzer flavor. It's "Steel State of Mind". [B-94]

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SURVEY SAYS...

Thank you to the timeless Richard Dawson for the introduction, but a bigger thanks go out to the literally hundreds of readers that took the time to answer the recent Mondesi's House survey. Your feedback was invaluable.

First off, let me belatedly announce the prize winners randomly selected from the readers who submitted a response:

Michael V. of Greensburg, PA won the Jack Lambert signed photo

Penguins Stanley Cup photos were won by the following readers: John S. of Harwick, PA; Greg N. of Canonsburg; John D. of West Grove, PA; Regis R. of Lewisberry, PA; and Ed H. of Morgantown, PA.

Now let's get down to business, specifically what was suggested in the survey, and how it will shape the site in the future. I'll break these down into sub-topics to make this a little easier to navigate.

AUDIENCE DIVIDERS:

The most polarizing topic among the responders was clearly a runaway: Pitt, Penn State, and to a lesser extent, West Virginia coverage. Pitt fans want less Penn State coverage and more Pitt coverage. Penn State fans want more Penn State and less Pitt. And West Virginia fans, they're just looking for anything.

For me, there's really no right answer, because someone's always going to be upset. But I now have a much clearer view of just how many Penn State supporters read the site beyond my all-time favorite, Adam the Penn State Fan. In the future, there is one thing I can promise: Pitt will continue to be thoroughly covered. They're the only one of the three schools located in Pittsburgh, and I have much more knowledge about their programs than Penn State or WVU. So no change there. But to offer a compromise, I pledge to do a better job of covering PSU and WVU, to at least give those fans an opportunity for discussion if they wish.

The second most-mentioned subject that I cover is the Pirates. They have really managed to split the readers in half, as I had a lot of people pushing for more coverage and and equal amount asking for less or no coverage.

Now, I realize how bad the Pirates are and how perennially hopeless their situation appears to be, but I just can't ignore them altogether. I will continue to give updates on transactions, Hot Stove stuff, and commentary during the season. That being said, the losing does tend to get tedious, and I always try to keep a feel of what you will be interested in. A meaningless Pirates-Reds series in front of an empty stadium does not make very compelling conversation. So let's just file this under the "to be determined" column as the season plays out.

NEEDS MORE:

Another item on the wish list was a request for more Penguin coverage. I acknowledge that this is one of my areas where I have some room to grow, especially during football season. To cover every local college football, college basketball, and Penguin game in the same depth as each Steeler game would be virtually impossible for the one-man band that I am. But I have some ideas that I am going to experiment with in this department very soon. So stay tuned on that.

A lot of you seem to be nostalgic, and want to see more features like "Know Your Elders", or things along those lines where old-school players and teams are discussed. I'll try my best, but that's more of a timing issue. When I'm trying to do news and features simultaneously, there's always the chance of one of them getting ignored. I'll have to pick my spots for features like these, but they will return.

I received tons of requests to do more interviews. I've only done a handful of these in the 3+ years I've been running the site, including a grand total of zero in 2009, I'm genuinely embarrassed to say. Keep in mind that I have no press credentials, so I'm not going to get anything out of the locker rooms. But I'll see what I can line up from other avenues that will be relevant and interesting.

I also received a lot of requests to do more "field trips", which are incredibly enjoyable. By my count, I've done only seven of these, and they take a ton of time, between attending the event, cropping the zillions of photos I take, and writing a recap. That being said, they are incredibly enjoyable, and I hope to do more in 2010.

NEEDS LESS:

I heard from some readers that have tired of the Terrible Towel around the globe photos (there have been a lot of them), and I can understand that. I also heard from enough people that like them to make me consider keeping the feature, but done on an occasional basis as opposed to the more regular basis that it had for most of 2009. So they will stay, but will be condensed into fewer posts.

NEW STUFF:

There were a lot of suggestions for new features. I'd like to implement a handy calendar of upcoming local games, to keep people posted as to what coming up and when/where it will be on. So I'll be at work on that.

There are lots of other ideas that were floated to me, but I'll go the route of gradual rollout and try out some of these as the year moves along.

SITE DESIGN:

I admit, I am not an expert in the field of web design. I had several requests to upgrade the look, colors, graphics, etc., but this is not my forte. 2009 was the first year that I changed anything at all with the site's look, and even that was a chore. I will try some tinkering here and there, and if anyone has any specific suggestions to what is needed, feel free to voice them.

TWITTER:

Twitter took a while to grow on me, and I'm still not as into it as other blogs seem to be. But if you haven't yet signed up to follow MH, twitter.com/mondesishouse is the address.

To date, my Twitter page hasn't been much more than a feed of new MH stories, but I've been getting better about passing on relevant links and things I think would interest you on a daily basis.

ADVERTISING/PROMOTIONS:

MH contests were often named on the "needs more" list, and to have more contests, we'll need more sponsors. We had a few great sponsors help out in 2009, including Nemacolin Woodlands resort, Champion Sports, Pepsi, Mountain Dew, No Fear energy drinks, and some local t-shirt vendors. But I'd like to make this a regular feature, and really work more local businesses into the mix. So if any of you out there have an interest, email me at mondesishouse@gmail.com and we can discuss some ideas. There is a belief that web advertising is a tremendously expensive undertaking, and truthfully, it's not nearly as intimidating as it appears.

IN CONCLUSION...

If I had to narrow down the responses, a great percentage of the readers just want more. More posts, more depth, more of everything. My biggest enemy has always been time, and that's not going to change. But I will take a look at how I spend that time to make your experience more enjoyable.

On my end, I'd like more of you, too. If you have an interesting link, a tip, a thought-provoking email, a suggestion, a photo, I encourage you to drop me a line. I enjoyed the increased commenting in 2009, because I love a great sports debate and you (collectively) are usually very reasonable with each other. So if you ever want to add your two cents, by all means join in the fun.

MH is a lot of work, but it's definitely a labor of love. It's the perfect creative vehicle to combine my passion for Pittsburgh and my enjoyment of writing. I thank all of you who read the site, passed it along to friends/family, and contributed in 2009, and I hope to exceed your expectations next year and beyond. To all of you, have a happy and healthy 2010!

JASON BAY JUST GOT MUCH, MUCH RICHER

Former Pirate OF Jason Bay has reached agreement on a four-year, guaranteed $66 million contract with the New York Mets, with a vesting option year that could increase Bay's overall payout to slightly more than $80 million over five years, says ESPN. Not bad for a 22nd-round draft pick.

The most Bay ever earned in a season with the Buccos? That would be $6 million, in 2008. Since pricing himself out of the Pirates' league, Bay has been acquired by Boston and the Mets, and I'm sure he will be a Yankee at some point before his career concludes. Oh, Major League Baseball, you're so predictable. Don't ever change.

How have the Pirates fared since dumping Bay in 2008? If you'll remember, they acquired four pieces to their puzzle at the time: pitchers Bryan Morris and Craig Hansen, OF Brandon Moss, and 3B Andy LaRoche. Hansen was designated for assignment by the team recently, so he's off the 40-man roster. LaRoche hit .258/.330/.401 with the Pirates in 2009, with 12 HR and 64 RBI in 150 games. Moss hit .236/.304/.364 with 7 HR and 41 RBI in 133 big league games in 2009. And Morris went 4-9 with a 5.57 ERA for Lynchburg of the advanced single-A Carolina League. So to answer my question at the beginning of the paragraph, it's still a work in progress.

It will be fascinating to see how Bay fares under the bright lights of New York and the expectations - some of them surely unrealistic - that come with a contract like this. I've always seen Bay as more of an extremely gifted complimentary piece rather than a centerpiece, as he was in Pittsburgh. But even with players around him making more money (e.g., Carlos Beltran, Johan Santana), Mets fans will be counting on big things from their most recent off-season splurge.

On paper, this team has some serious offensive firepower, with Beltran, David Wright, Jose Reyes, etc., but the one thing none of those players can do is pitch. The Mets had one starting pitcher with an ERA under 4.00 last season, Johan Santana, and he was lost for the remainder of the 2009 season in August with surgery on his elbow. So a gaping hole remains. And besides, even if they had good pitching...they're the Mets. You and I both know that they'll find some way to screw things up.

Source: Bay agrees with Mets [ESPN]

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HARRISON, HAMPTON NAMED TO PRO BOWL

The NFL Pro Bowl is the game that everyone wants to be named to but few want to actually play in. With that being said, rosters for the 2010 game have been announced, and they're not exactly bursting with Pittsburgh Steelers.

The defending champs placed two players on the AFC squad: LB James Harrison (who will start) and NT Casey Hampton. This is the fifth trip to the game for Hampton, who was also a Pro Bowler in 2003, 2005, 2006, and 2007. It is the third selection for Harrison, who's been named to the team in 2007 and 2008.

With that out of the way, the obvious talk now shifts to the snubs, so naturally I'm contractually obligated to bring up QB Ben Roethlisberger, who recently broke the storied franchise's record for passing yards in a season, OL Chris Kemoeatu, and TE Heath Miller.

Miller, who's destroyed his career bests in receptions and yards this season, was clearly caught in a numbers game, with Antonio Gates' and Dallas Clark's gaudy numbers blocking his path. The conference's fifth and sixth leading wide receivers, Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes, respectively, were also on the outside looking in. But all in all, it's hard to complain about accolades when your team has generally been regarded as a massive disappointment, which the Steelers certainly are.

Among other selections of local interest, Pitt products Larry Fitzgerald and Darrelle Revis were both named as starters, so it will be fun to watch those two face off. Former Pitt punter Andy Lee of San Francisco was also named for the second time.

The only former Steeler named was OG Alan Faneca, who will be appearing in his ninth Pro Bowl and second with the New York Jets.

The AFC North will be represented by a total of only nine players. The division-leading Bengals were shut out, while the cellar-dwelling Browns had two players honored: KR Josh Cribbs and OT Joe Thomas. The Baltimore Ravens placed five on the team, including LB Ray Lewis, S Ed Reed, FB Le'Ron McClain, DL Haloti Ngata, and RB Ray Rice.

The 2010 game will be played at Land Shark Stadium in Miami, site of Super Bowl 44, on January 31. It's the first time the game will not be played in Hawaii since the 1979 game, held at the L.A. Coliseum. However, the game has already been confirmed to move back to Hawaii for 2011 and 2012.

Four Steelers have been named MVP in the annual All-Star Game: Ernie Stautner (1956), "Big Daddy" Lipscomb (1959 and 1962), and Mel Blount (1977). From 1956-71, a back and a lineman were both named as co-MVPs. As a sidenote that should interest our Mon Valley readers, the co-MVP in 1956 with Stautner happened to be a Valley product, Colts DB Bert Rechichar, who hails from Belle Vernon, PA.

And here's a bit of trivia that I never realized until right now: Steeler head coaches Bill Cowher and Chuck Noll are #1 and #2 in Pro Bowls won. Cowher is 4-0, while Noll sported a 3-0 record during his career.

2010 NFL Pro Bowl rosters [NFL.com]

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STEELERS SIGN TRAE WILLIAMS, PLACE LEWIS ON IR

The Steelers made a few minor moves on Tuesday, placing rookie DB Keenan Lewis on IR (back) and signing first-year corner Trae Williams to the active roster.

Williams, who was second-team All Big East in 2007 at South Florida, was a fifth-round pick in 2008 by the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was waived prior to the start of the 2008 regular season and was picked up by Philadelphia, who had him on their practice squad for the remainder of the '08 campaign. He was waived by the Eagles on September 5, 2009, and then signed to the practice squad of the Seattle Seahawks, where he remained all season until being rescued by the Steelers for a better-paying gig today.

Lewis, the Steelers' third-round pick in 2009 out of Oregon State, finished his rookie campaign with appearances in four games, with one tackle. Unfortunately, his first season will be mostly remembered for Mike Tomlin's blunt assessment of his progress in December, when the coach said Lewis must first win a special teams job or else he will not dress for the game.

Steelers add cornerback to roster [PG]

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TODAY'S HEADLINES

Pitt opens with a W: Ashton Gibbs scored a career-high 23 points, Jermaine Dixon added 12, and the 11-2 Pitt Panthers opened the Big East campaign with a 65-52 win over DePaul. It was the 30th consecutive win at The Pete. Next up: Syracuse, at the Carrier Dome, on January 2. [PittsburghPanthers.com]

Accolades for Sid: Sidney Crosby was deservedly named as the Canadian Press Athlete of the Year for 2009 for the second time in his young career. He is one of only six hockey players to take home the honors more than once, joining Rocket Richard, Bobby Hull, Phil Esposito, Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux. [MSNBC]

Bill Guerin, 2010 Olympian? The Penguins' elder statesman is reportedly 'in the hunt' for a spot on the US team, which will announce its roster on Friday. The team will likely choose one forward from the veteran group of Guerin, Mike Modano, and Keith Tkachuk, who were all part of its "Greatest Generation", as GM Brian Burke called it. It would be the fourth Olympics for Guerin if he makes the squad. [Trib]

Pens-Sabres tonight: Winter Classic fever is in the air, so what better way to rekindle some local memories than a rematch of the epic 2008 battle in Buffalo. Gametime is at 7 PM tonight, with coverage on FSN. No snow is expected to fall on the ice this time. [Empty Netters]

Even a Cup-winning staff can lend a hand: The above photo would be the Penguins coaches and support staff pushing their bus out of the snow in Buffalo yesterday. Included in the fun: HC Dan Bylsma, assistant coaches Mike Yeo, Tony Granato and Gilles Meloche, Senior Director of Team Operations Frank Buonomo, Vice President of Communications Tom McMillan, Head Athletic Trainer Chris Stewart and Video Coordinator Jim Britt. [PittsburghPenguins.com]

Statistical proof for the value of 43: As you know, I'm a stat geek, so I greatly enjoyed this analyzation of the value of Troy Polamalu to the Steelers. Their conclusion? "Losing Polamalu takes the Steelers defense from close-to-unbeatable to below-average." I'd say that's accurate. [Advanced NFL Stats]

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SIGN OF LIFE

STEELERS (8-7) 23
RAVENS (8-7) 20
ROETHLISBERGER 17/33, 259 YARDS, 1 TD, 1 INT
MENDENHALL 17 CARRIES, 36 YARDS, 1 TD
HOLMES 5 CATCHES, 86 YARDS, 1 TD

Believe it or not, the Pittsburgh Steelers still have a shot to qualify for the 2009-10 NFL playoffs. I fall on the side of "can't believe it", but given the world of sports we're living in, nothing should be a surprise anymore. The world's best golfer has seen his pristine image turn into a excuse to start TMZSports.com. Arguably the best college football coach in the game resigned, changed his mind, and decided on a leave of absence in a 24-hour span. 16 teams were vying for the services of the Pirates' closer, which I believe is an oxymoron. These are all things I never would have anticipated. But as I often say, in sports you should expect the unexpected. So of course the Steelers could lose five in a row, including Cleveland, Oakland, and Kansas City, and qualify for the postseason. It's as unexpected as any of the above scenarios we watched unfold in front of our very eyes in 2009.

With that being said in as many words as possible, here are a few additional thoughts on the fourth Steeler victory over their AFC North rivals since the start of the 2008 season:

1. Was this a game the Steelers won or a game the Ravens gave the Steelers? In the end, it will be looked at as a little bit of both, but I'd go with the latter more than the former as theories go.

The Ravens had 11 penalties for 113 yards, with eight coming in the second half. Two of those 11 penalties wiped out touchdowns. They had two plays of 20 yards or more to the Steelers' five. They dropped easy touchdown passes. They turned the ball over three times. These are not things that equate to victory, especially on the road in front of a hostile crowd. So to see the Ravens come up short should be no surprise.

On the other hand, the Steelers made plays when they had to, they didn't collapse in the fourth quarter, and they committed far few miscues. As I said, it's not unfair to say that they earned some of this victory as well.

2. The flow of the game was unusual to say the least. After putting up 20 points in the first half, including a beautiful drive in the closing moments, the Steelers managed only a Jeff Reed fourth quarter field goal in the final 30 minutes. Their offense was basically invisible for the entire third quarter, possessing the ball twice, resulting in a Roethlisberger interception and a three-and-aht.

But the Ravens' drive which took the game into the fourth quarter is what basically decided the contest. You don't see many 10-play, 5:18 drives that result in 14 yards of offense, but that's what happens when you commit four penalties on the same drive. The Ravens had a Willis McGahee TD come off the board, Derrick Mason dropped a second touchdown on the drive, and a 15-yard personal foul on Oniel Cousins ultimately took the Ravens out of field goal range. It was a clinic in beating yourself.

At a point in the game when most people reasonably expected the 2009 Steelers' defense to collapse, things fell into place with a little help, and a bullet was dodged. The D would go on to force Baltimore into a three-and-out on the Ravens' next possession; in their final possession, the Ravens victim to LaMarr Woodley sacks on consecutive plays, virtually ending any chance for victory.

Meanwhile, the Steeler offense recovered just enough from the atrocity that was the third quarter to compile one scoring drive of eight plays and 44 yards, resulting in the deciding Reed three-pointer with 5:25 left in the game.

It was a tad unconventional, but the fact is that this win counts just as much as a 63-0 W in the standings (and in the playoff hunt).

3. The Steeler offense continues to have the feel of a pass first, pass second, run third mentality, as was the case again on Sunday. The Steelers attempted 33 passes and 23 runs, to Baltimore's 25 passes and 38 runs. But the rushing attack was mostly ineffective, generating only 48 yards from Rashard Mendenhall and a Very Special Cameo from Willie Parker.

As the season plays out, it is apparent that the NFL has in general become a pass-first league, and the Steelers have been wise to follow that rule of thinking, winning Super Bowl 43 behind the league's 23rd-ranked rushing attack. Oh, by the way, their opponent for that game - the Arizona Cardinals - were ranked dead last in the league in rushing in 2008.

The fact is that the league's top quarterbacks almost universally equate to the top teams. Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Philip Rivers, Carson Palmer, even Brett Favre are all having excellent seasons, and their teams are likewise leading their divisions. The blueprint is obvious: throw to win. And why is this? The rules make it advantageous.

If there were a loophole to save money on your taxes, you would take advantage of it, right? That's how fans should be looking at passing games. Defenders can't breathe on quarterbacks without being flagged or fined. DBs have never faced such stringent enforcement of pass interference rules. Think about it - how many really fantastic corners are there in the league? Does Ike Taylor really look as bad as we make him out to be, or is he merely par for the course? The bottom line is that the game is slanted to the advantage of the pass, and smart teams are taking advantage of it.

Aside from Adrian Peterson, take a look at the top five leaders in rushing. There's Chris Johnson, on the 7-8 and once 0-6 Titans; Maurice Jones-Drew, on the 7-8 Jaguars; Steven Jackson, on the one-win Rams; and Thomas Jones, of the 8-7 Jets. In fact, of the top 10 rushing leaders, only two of them (Peterson and Cincy's Cedric Benson) play for division leaders. Conversely, of the top 10 rated passers, all of them are either in the playoffs or still alive for the playoffs, and that same list houses four of the six division-leading QBs, the only exceptions being Kurt Warner (11th) and Donovan McNabb (17th). So don't be mad at the Steelers for their game plan. They're merely following the formula for success in today's NFL. It may not have worked out so neatly in 2009, but if you ever have any doubt, be sure to check out that sixth Lombardi Trophy the next time you're in the city.

4. The Steelers' excellent collection of receiving weapons came through in a big way on Sunday. Mike Wallace continued to exhibit his knack for the big play, with a 45-yard grab; Santonio Holmes was targeted 12 times and turned that into 86 yards and a score; and Hines Ward continued to play while dinged-up, contributing four catches for 37 yards. The only disappointment was when rookie Tyler Grisham had a drop, giving him a total of one first-down celebration and one third-down drop on the day.

5. LaMarr Woodley had an excellent game, with 10 tackles and those two key sacks in the fourth quarter. After a very quiet start, Woodley has come on to the tune of 11.5 sacks on the season, which is exactly the number he finished with in 2008.

6. It was nice seeing first-rounder Ziggy Hood out there wreaking havoc on Sunday, even in small doses. I'm really expecting great things out of Hood in the future, as are the Steelers, and his sack and fumble recovery against the Ravens is a glimpse of great things to come. I hope.

7. Congratulations go out to a few Steelers for statistical milestones coming during Sunday's game. Ben Roethlisberger became the first Steeler QB to throw for 4,000 yards in a season, a fact that simply blows my mind. How could that have never happened in the long history of the franchise?

Elsewhere, Rashard Mendenhall eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark, with 1,014 yards on the season. The team did not have a back run for 1,000 last year, meaning the last player to do so was Willie Parker with 1,316 in 2007. Parker led the team with 791 in 2008.

Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes have joined the 1,000-yard club as well. It's the first time for Holmes, whose previous high was 942 yards in 2007. It's the sixth time for Ward, whose high is 1,329 in the Tommy Maddox days of 2002.

The Steelers now have two 1,000-yard receivers (Holmes and Ward), a 1,000-yard rusher and a 4,000-yard passer for the first time.

Stefan Logan also set a Steeler record for kick return yards in a season, so I'm guessing that the chance taken on him in 2009 would be considered a good move.

8. I see the Bill Cowher rumors are heating up once again, with Tampa Bay as the leading contender. Despite their win over the Saints on Sunday, the Bucs are a certifiable disaster, but there is no state income tax and the weather's certainly nice. If The Chin wanted to build a team from the ground up, this would probably be a good opportunity.

9. As we all know, the Steelers close the 2009 regular season next week at Miami, with a 1:00 start. The Dolphins are coming off a disappointing 27-20 home loss to Houston on Sunday, a game in which they found themselves down 27-0 at halftime. So it will be interesting to see how they respond after being all but eliminated this week.

10. Now that we've got all the serious stuff out of the way...go back to the top and check out that pic of Mike Tomlin. Is it me, or are those some Santa-sized bags under his eyes? I think he's aged at a Presidential rate during the 2009 season.

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IT'S A WANNYFUL LIFE

2009 Meineke Car Care Bowl
Charlotte, NC

PITT (10-3) 19
NORTH CAROLINA (8-5) 17

As I watched a sure touchdown pass bounce off the hands of Dorin Dickerson, and later saw Dion Lewis fumble a second sure Pitt touchdown into the UNC end zone, I wondered if the 2009 Meineke Car Care Bowl would be a disappointing finale to the Pitt Panthers' roller-coaster season. Nothing like whiffing on 14 points to make life difficult. Luckily for the blue and gold, they overcame their early miscues and were able to deliver a belated Christmas present to the school: a last-minute win in the bowl game, capping off the first 10-win season the program has had since the Dan Marino days of 1981.

The recipe for Panther success followed a familiar path: hand the ball to Dion Lewis and watch in amazement. Aside from the fumbled touchdown, Lewis had another great game, with 159 yards and a score on 28 carries. It was the 10th 100+ yard game for Lewis in 2009, breaking Tony Dorsett's 1973 record for rushing yards in a season by a Panther freshman (1,686). Lewis would go on to finish with a whopping 1,799 for the year, to nicely pair with 18 touchdowns. And to think that the position of running back was a question mark after the loss of Shady McCoy to the riches of the NFL.

The Pitt season climaxed on an epic 17-play drive lasting nearly nine minutes, featuring a fourth-down conversion, 13 Lewis runs, a huge fourth-and-two offsides call against the Tar Heels, and finally, a 33-yard field goal by Dan Hutchins, his fourth and most important of the night.

The win was sweet for Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt, who bested former co-worker Butch Davis in their first head-to-head meeting as college coaches. As noted earlier in the week (with a fantastic photo, I must add), Davis and Wannstedt worked on Jimmy Johnson's staffs at Oklahoma State and Miami in the college ranks, and with the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL. The coaching duo not only experienced a national title with the 'Canes in 1987, but a Super Bowl victory with the Cowboys in 1992.

The only bad part of the game is that it was the final appearance for several key players in a Pitt uniform. QB Bill Stull, who redeemed himself for a lackluster performance in last season's 3-0 Sun Bowl loss, heads the list. Stull is projected as the #9 quarterback in the NFL draft by ESPN. The Panthers will also lose TE Dorin Dickerson, who is ranked as the #1 fullback going into the draft, and should translate well to the pro game. Also moving on: DL Mick Williams, WR Oderick Turner, TE Nate Byham (or as Wanny inexplicably calls him, "Nate Bynam"), DB Aaron Berry, DB Jovani Chappel, DL Tommie Duhart, LB Adam Gunn, OL John Malecki, WR Cedric McGee, LB Shane Murray, DL Gus Mustakas, and WR TJ Porter. Whew. That's quite a list.

Luckily, the cupboard is not bare. The Panthers will return a Heisman candidate in Lewis, one of the nation's top receivers in Jonathan Baldwin, and many key components of a highly-regarded defense (as well as a likable head coach with immaculate facial hair).

And for those interested in planning ahead, here's an early look at who the Panthers will play in the 2009-10 season. An out-of-conference schedule featuring Utah, Notre Dame, and "The U" , as well as many quality returnees, will ensure a very interesting season, to say the least.

9-4-10 NEW HAMPSHIRE
9-11-10 at Utah
9-25-10 MIAMI FL
10-2-10 FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL
10-9-10 at Notre Dame
TBA LOUISVILLE
TBA RUTGERS
TBA WEST VIRGINIA
TBA at Connecticut
TBA at South Florida
TBA at Syracuse
TBA at Cincinnati

But for now, let's take our hats off to the Panthers for a nice ending to an incredibly exciting 2009 campaign. As tough as it was to experience, there are a lot things worse for a college football fan base than being one point short of a BCS appearance. Better to at least have a shot at winning the conference than to never have a shot at all.

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WANNY WOULD BE PROUD

The Steelers are sporting mustaches and '70s/'80s style hair of late in a tribute to QB coach Ken Anderson, who used to look like this:

and now looks like this:

Roethlisberger sure has perfected the "interesting" look over the years, with his less-than-formal attire at occasions that would call for it, perennial backwards ballcap (shockingly not present in this photo), and countless varieties of creative facial hair. Personally, I wouldn't care if he looked like Quasimodo before, during, or after the game, as long as he wins. If a porn-stache gives you that mental edge to beat Ray-Ray on Sunday, then let it grow, let it grow. I'm sure Vintage John Steigerwald would give the idea his seal of approval.

Steelers Calling Upon Power Of The 'Stache [WTAE]

PS: Totally unrelated but worth a mention, today is the 37th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception. Celebrate responsibly.

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PIRATES REPORTEDLY MAKE OFFER TO DOTEL

Could this man be the Pirates' closer in 2010? It's possible, according to a report from NBC's Around the Bases blog. The supposed deal on the table is for one year and $3 million, plus games-finished incentives.

Dotel, 36, is the definition of a journeyman, playing for seven teams since entering the bigs in 1999. He's battled a variety of injuries over the years, including a season-ending Tommy John surgery with the A's in 2005, tendinitis with the Yankees in 2006, and a right shoulder strain with the Braves in 2007.

Dotel has a career mark of 46-39, with a 3.73 ERA and 86 saves, his high coming in 2004 with 36. Last year for the White Sox, Dotel was 3-3 with a 3.32 ERA in 62 appearances. For that, he was compensated $6 million dollars.

In an interesting side note, it's worth mentioning that Dotel has a rather interesting sponsor of his Baseball Reference data page: "The Oakland Committee to Impeach Octavio Dotel," whose sponsorship message reads like this:

Our stance is that Octavio Dotel is the worst closer of alltime and a disgrace to the Green and Gold. September 23, 2004 - the day the 2004 season really ended for Oakland.

September 23, 2004 would be the day that the Texas Rangers beat the A's 4-3 on a two-out double by Dave Dellucci in the ninth inning, finishing off a three-game Ranger sweep of Oakland. The pitcher who failed to close the deal? That would be Octavio Dotel, who also surrendered a home run to Hank Blalock in the same frame. I guess clutch pitching isn't a necessity in the high-stakes game of Moneyball.

In a final sign that this marriage between pitcher and franchise may be destiny, Dotel was once traded to the Houston Astros in 1999...for the one and only Derek Bell. Let's just sign this guy and get him to Pittsburgh already.

----

In other news of the Buccos, they signed lefty reliever Jack Taschner to a minor-league deal today, according to ESPN's Jayson Stark.

Taschner, 31, had a 4.91 ERA in 24 appearances for the Phillies last season. He would earn $835,000 if he makes the Pirates' Opening Day roster, and an additional $465,000 in appearance-based incentives.

Taschner made his big league debut in 2005 with San Francisco, where he remained until March of 2009, when he was traded to the Phillies for former Pirate Ronny Paulino.

---

And finally, thanks to everyone who sent over the link to the LA Times article today on rising political star Raul Mondesi, who obviously needs no introduction here. It's your "must-read" link of the day.

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TODAY'S HEADLINES

Picture of the year candidate: Gotta love this shot of Jimmy Johnson's 1992 Cowboys staff, including UNC Coach Butch Davis (back left, with enormous sunglasses) and Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt (back right, with enormous Wannstache). [North Carolina Tar Heels]

Steigy controversy: I never really thought of Paul Steigerwald as controversial, but he really got some people's panties in a bunch with a joke about hockey star Hobey Baker's death in 1918. Too soon? Too soon. [Puck Daddy]

Santa Fleury: St. Nick suddenly looks curiously thin. I'd keep my eye on this. [Penguins Official Twitter]

Pitt wins big: The Panthers rolled to a 74-49 win over Ohio U. at the Pete on Tuesday night in the much-anticipated return of Gilbert Brown, who scored 11 and didn't miss a shot in 18 minutes. Ashton Gibbs poured in 15 for the 10-2 Panthers, while Brad Wanamaker added 10 assists and 10 boards.

Ohio had some incredibly bad shooting including 1-for-14 from guard DJ Cooper, 2-for-13 from forward DeVaughn Washington, and 1-for-7 from center Kenneth van Kempen. The Bobcats shot 23.9% (17 of 71) as a team on the night.

The Panthers are off until December 28, when they open Big East play at home against 7-4 DePaul. [ESPN]

Dino Tomlin questions his papa: At Mike Tomlin's weekly news conference, he revealed that even his eight-year-old son, Dino, asked him why he tried the onside kick against the Packers on Sunday. Wow, does this kid have "future NFL beat writer" written all over him. [WTAE]

Joe Namath's dogs might be a little bitey: Longtime readers know of my love of Joe Namath [chronicled here], but the charismatic QB from Beaver Falls is in the news today for a different reason.

A UPS driver is claiming that Namath's dogs bit him in 2007 during a delivery to Namath's West Palm Beach home, and the bites were so bad that the guy's needed four surgeries and hasn't worked since. Let's hope Joe doesn't go with the fur coat look for the court case. [WPXI]

Capps close to a decision: You would think Matt Capps was Mariano Rivera with the chronicling of his every move in free agency, but it appears that he's narrowed it down to two teams: the Cubs and Nationals. Former Pirates on both sides are trying to lure him. It's a classic battle: a tradition of losing against a newer tradition of losing. Who will it be? There's a pretty good chance I might not sleep tonight in anticipation of the news. [PBC Blog]

Nomar a Pirate? SI.com writer Jeff Pearlman tees off on small-market teams (most notably the Pirates) for signing crappy free agents every year, and predicts that the Buccos will sign Nomar Garciaparra or someone of that broken-down, overpaid ilk this year.

He also goes on to describe Kansas City Royal signee Jason Kendall as "a 35-year-old catcher and perhaps the game's worst player". So basically, this article has a few angles that may interest you. [SI]

Ifill picks Pitt: Highly-touted Penn Hills senior CB Brandon Ifill chose the Pitt Panthers over Maryland, so chalk another one up for Wanny. Ifill ranks as the #25 prospect in the state of Pennsylvania, a list that has Pitt locked in to eight of the state's top 30 players. Of course, Penn State has six of the top 10 on the same list, proving once again that Joe Paterno somehow continues to get it done in recruiting. [PG, Rivals]

Charleroi senior citizens lose Wii bowling National Title: I thought the big postseason matchups with local ties went out the window when Pitt lost to Cincinnati, but it appears I missed one.

The Riverside Place Senior Center in Charleroi (of Mon Valley fame) recently advanced to the National Senior League bowling video game championships (played online), but unfortunately lost by 20 pins to a team from Florida in the finals. If they're anything like the other local teams, they probably blew a big lead late in the contest. [Observer Reporter]

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STEELERS SIGN GALLOWAY, RETKOFSKY

With the season-ending status of WR Limas Sweed and Long Snapper Greg Warren, the Steelers had a few holes to fill, which they did today.

Joining the Steelers is fossilized yet speedy WR Joey Galloway, who was first-team All Big Ten in 1993, and LS Jared Retkofsky, the same guy who replaced Warren when he went down with an injury last season.

Both players were active in football for other organizations in 2009. After his release from Tampa Bay, Galloway was signed by New England but was released on October 20 when it was clearly not working there. He had seven catches for 67 yards in three games this season. As for Retkofsky, he played with the New York Sentinels in the inaugural season of the UFL in 2009.

The 38-year-old Galloway is from nearby Bellaire, Ohio, and is a part owner in the Arena League's Columbus Destroyers. He's apparently quite the entrepreneur, because he also owns a landscaping company in Dublin, Ohio, near Columbus. He played in Tampa for two seasons while Mike Tomlin was on the Bucs' coaching staff, and visited with the Steelers during this year's free agent signing period. He is a four-time Pro Bowl alternate (how many players can say that?) and has 689 catches for 10,777 yards in his 15-year career.

As for Sweed, Mike Tomlin would not elaborate on his condition out of respect for his privacy, but did say it was not football-related. Everyone knows that the guy's had a tough time since donning a Steeler uniform, so here's hoping he gets over whatever is ailing him.

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UPDATED - THE OFFICIAL MH SURVEY: TAKE II

I originally did this a few years ago and it was incredibly useful, so it's time to go into the Mondesi's House mothballs and hand out a survey. I can already see that you're thrilled, but bear with me.

The format of Mondesi's House has been constantly tinkered with since day one in June, 2006, and the future will be no different. I'm always looking to improve, and that's where you come in.

I know everyone's busy, so I'll keep this brief. There are just six questions, so if you could just copy and paste them, fill in some feedback, and send it to mondesishouse@gmail.com, it would be greatly appreciated.

All information will be confidential (don't worry - I won't use any of your responses in any type of "Mailbag" column) for the sole purpose of making the site more enjoyable for you. And please, be honest. If there's something that you really don't like or annoys you, let me know about it. If you know one thing that's remained constant about this site, it's that I'm not opposed to change.

Thank you very much for your help, and we'll be back to regularly scheduled programming very soon.

The questions:

1. How often do you visit the site?


2. How did you find out about the site?


3. Why do you visit the site?


4. What would you like to see more of?


5. What would you like to see less of?


6. What would you propose to make your Mondesi's House experience more enjoyable?


*If there's anything else you'd like to add, please feel free.

UPDATE

The response so far has been overwhelming, with tons of great ideas pouring in. I can't thank you enough.

To show a small token of my appreciation, I'm going to randomly select one survey submitter to receive a signed 8x10 photo of Jack Lambert, courtesy of The Steel City Auctions Gallery.



I'm also going to send five random survey submitters a color 8x10 photo of the
2009 Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins.

I'll announce the winners of the prizes tomorrow. And thanks again for all of your feedback - keep it coming!

ROETHLISTASTIC

STEELERS (7-7) 37

PACKERS (9-5) 36ROETHLISBERGER 29-46, 503 YARDS, 3 TD
MENDENHALL 11 CARRIES, 38 YARDS, 1 TD
WARD 7 CATCHES, 126 YARDS

I should probably be more excited after one of the most incredible finishes in Steeler history, one that was eerily reminiscent of a certain Super Bowl-winning drive earlier this year. But when you mentally prepare for the worst, sometimes you don't know how to react when things actually pan out. I expect this is how I'll feel when the Pirates finish 82-80 in 2029.

There were so many bad points to Sunday's game, it was almost easy to overlook the most prolific day that a Steeler quarterback has ever had. The Steeler defense was so horrible that Mike Tomlin called for an onside kick late in the fourth quarter - a move that had all the characteristics of a Belichickian-like media feeding frenzy of second-guessing in the wake of the team's pending sixth consecutive loss. Media chastiser Ryan Clark made himself look foolish as his unit gave up a predictable 22 points in the fourth quarter. It was all setting up to be the final nail in the Steelers' 2009 coffin.

And then a funny thing happened. In some weird, wacky way, Tomlin's plan actually worked. In the final two minutes of regulation, Ben Roethlisberger reminded people that he's one of the best quarterbacks in all of football en route to yet another fourth quarter victory on his lengthy resume. His surgeon-like precision on the game-winner to rookie Mike Wallace was an exclamation point on a jaw-dropping 503-yard, three-touchdown output against the league's third-ranked defense. It was a performance that stands out on his already-outstanding career highlight reel, and it used every second of the time Tomlin thought the offense would need to answer the Packers' inevitable score, in the event that the Steelers would not recover the kick.

But after all the excitement and offensive fireworks are over, all this adds up to a state of confusion for Steeler fans going into the final two weeks of the season. Do we ignore this team's numerous, obvious flaws and kid ourselves into believing this is a championship squad? Where should our expectations be? Should I continue to dissect the minutiae of a .500 football team when I still have so much Christmas shopping to do?

As you can see, it's easy to get sidetracked. But realistically speaking, this is an average football team this year. They're not good enough to be great, yet not bad enough to be horrible. Many of their games could've gone either way - they've only beaten a team by more than 10 points twice (Denver, Cleveland), and their losses have been by 3, 3, 6, 3, 3, 3, and 7, with two of those coming in overtime. There are no blowouts to speak of. They've beaten good teams (Minnesota, San Diego, Denver) and lost to bad teams (KC, Cleveland, Oakland). They're all over the map.

Long story short, the expectations in Week 16 should be to have no expectations, because literally anything can happen. Unless you can explain how an offensive racks up 537 yards against the Packers and struggles to generate points against the Browns a week before.

Just sit back and enjoy the ride. Take it week by week, quarter by quarter. Don't get too high or too low. Remember, as we saw at this end of this college football season, the margin between jubilation and depression can be as slim as a missed extra point.

Some bullet points:

1. That was possibly the worst defensive performance I've seen by a Steeler team in my lifetime. Missed tackles, dropped interceptions, long drives - it was the season in a nutshell. I've never witnessed a secondary that featured so many guys I would replace in a heartbeat, given the chance. And in the irony of ironies, Ike Taylor, who's made a name for himself over the years by dropping balls, actually grabs the onside kick...before it's gone 10 yards.

2. We can beat up on Limas Sweed and the decision to draft Limas Sweed all we want, but the Steelers more than atoned for that by stealing Mike Wallace this year. Wallace had two catches on Sunday - a 60-yard touchdown to kick off the scoring, and a 19-yard touchdown to end it. Great teams always need big plays, and if the Steelers will be great again soon, I can assure you that Mike Wallace will play a significant role in their resurgence.

3. The Fox broadcasters amused me by acting like Mike Tomlin won't be second-guessed in the wake of his decision to onside kick. This is a city that analyzes each and every play in a game like a biologist staring at a petri dish. It will be the water cooler conversation du jour in the Steel City on Monday. I'm not so sure I would've done it, but I understand Tomlin's decision.

Say what you want about the Belichick fourth down call a few weeks ago, but I've seen several examples of pro and coaches acting like gamblers playing with house money since then. Even when things go wrong, Belichick manages to start a trend in the copycat world of football.

4. It looks like this will again be a costly victory for the Black and Gold (and really, shouldn't it be "Black and Yellow"? I mean, Pitt's uniform is gold. The Steelers' is yellow. I'm just saying...)

Anyway, long snapper Greg Warren looks like he tore his ACL on the game-ending PAT, so that probably puts him on IR and forces the Steelers to bring someone in this week. Also, Hines Ward re-injured his hamstring on Sunday, so he may be up in the air for next week's game against Baltimore. The battle of attrition continues.

5. That being said, Ward had a fantastic game, with seven catches and 126 yards on Sunday. Heath Miller made up for some of his recent gaffes with a career day, to the tune of seven catches and 118 yards. Santonio Holmes turned in a 77-yard performance, and Rashard Mendenhall added 73 yards receiving. The pass catchers should have no gripes about getting the ball this week. When the quarterback has a career day, someone's gotta be on the receiving end, and Big Ben had five beneficiaries with at least 70 yards receiving on the day.

6. All this Roethlisberger excitement should result in the usual bushel of comments and emails telling me I go overboard in my praise of the QB. But as intelligent as Steeler fans are, why do some of them consider it borderline-uncool to enjoy the play of an elite signal-caller? Are there fans who treat Peyton Manning as anything less than a saint in Indianapolis? Is Tom Brady constantly under the gun from Patriot fans? Heck, even Drew Brees gets almost universal praise even outside his city limits, and the guy's only won one playoff game in his life. I just don't understand why some Steeler fans have still never come around on #7, nor do I understand why I have to make arguments on his behalf of his accomplishments. I assume that if you're not with him now, you'll probably never be a fan.

A certain faction of Steeler Nation conveniently chalks up Roethlisberger's success to having a good defense, and that certainly makes an enormous difference in a player's W-L record. But consider that the Steelers constantly had high-end defenses during the Cowher Era and won a grand total of zero Super Bowl titles until Roethlisberger fell into their lap. But I guess the play of Kordell Stewart, Neil O'Donnell, Mike Tomczak, Tommy Maddox, etc., had nothing to do with the team's failure to get over the top? Sorry, I can't buy that. Criticize him all you want, but I'll bet the fans of about 30 other cities would take the two Lombardi Trophies that he's helped get us.

7. Jeff Reed had a big day on Sunday, with three field goals and the crucial extra point. But can someone explain to me that pop-up kickoff that landed around the 35 yard line?

8. Not a great day for the Steeler running game, which had only 19 attempts (in contrast to the 46 passes). The Packers weren't running either, with 12 runs and 48 passes. Quite a sight to see Dick LeBeau and Dom Capers' vaunted 3-4 defenses getting shredded to the tune of 436 and 537 yards, respectively.

9. What bothers me the most about this year's defense is that in addition to rolling over repeatedly in the fourth quarter, they make absolutely no "plays" anymore. Interceptions, fumbles, sacks, touchdowns - it's almost become absurd to even expect something of that ilk from this group. I realize the void that Troy Polamalu and Aaron Smith leave, but they still have the Defensive MVP, as well as a number of players who were at least ranked in the upper halves at their position coming into the year.

10. So here's what's left ahead for the defending champs: two Sunday/1 PM starts, hosting Baltimore next Sunday and traveling to Miami on January 3.

To make the playoffs, the Steelers must first win their remaining games. Then, the Jets (7-7) and Jaguars (7-7) must lose or tie at least once. Also, the Broncos (8-6) must lose at least once, or the Ravens (8-6) must lose in Week 17 at Oakland. There are literally six teams with 7-7 records in the AFC alone. Who said parity was dead?

Remaining schedules:
Jets at Colts, Bengals at Jets
Jaguars at Patriots, Jaguars at Browns
Broncos at Eagles, Chiefs at Broncos
Ravens at Steelers, Ravens at Raiders
Texans at Dolphins, Steelers at Dolphins

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WEEKEND UPDATE

Pirates sign Lopez: The Pirates signed lefty reliever Javier Lopez yesterday (no, not that Javier Lopez), giving them a grand total of one left-handed relief pitcher. The 32-year-old got a very Pirate-friendly one-year deal worth $775,000.

Making his MLB debut in 2003 with Colorado, Lopez has also pitched for the Diamondbacks and Red Sox, winning a championship in Boston in 2007. He has a career ERA of 4.62 and has topped 60 appearances in a season four times. [PG]

Dumatrait a Tiger, Hacker a Giant: Pitcher Phil Dumatrait, a Mondesi's House favorite if only for his uncanny resemblance to American Idol's David Cook, has signed a minor league deal with the Detroit Tigers. He will earn $425K if he makes the team.

Another former Pirate, pitcher Eric Hacker, was picked up by the San Francisco Giants. His lasting mark on the franchise was famously inspiring a lone clapper during a late-season Bucco game last season. [PBC Blog]

Pens fans are the best: We all knew this already, but now Forbes has made it official: the Penguins have the best fans in the NHL. Toronto was second, and Philadelphia finished third.

Said the magazine:

“For the 2008-09 season, we ranked teams based on average regular-season home game attendance as a percentage of arena capacity, regular-season local television ratings as a percentage of the team’s metro area population and team merchandise sales. Pens fans emerged the most fanatical.

“They consumed the most team merchandise last season, led by jersey sales of NHL poster boy Sidney Crosby and Art Ross Trophy and Conn Smythe Trophy winner Evgeni Malkin. Televised games drew an average 72,644 households each on FSN Pittsburgh. On top of that, the Igloo, as Mellon Arena is affectionately, known, sold out every game in the 2008-09 season – the second year in a row.”

Sweed out: WR Limas Sweed will miss Sunday's Packer game because of illness. The Steeler offense will somehow try to get by without him.

Also out on Sunday: S Troy Polamalu (knee) and G Chris Kemoeatu (wrist), who will be replaced by Tyrone Carter and Ramon Foster, respectively. [Trib]

Lalime to start vs. Pens: Former Penguin goalie Patrick Lalime will start for Buffalo in Saturday's game against his former team. Lalime entered the league in 1996-97 with the Pens and had a league-best 14-0-2 start to his NHL career. [Empty Netters]

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TODAY'S HEADLINES

Crosby doesn't suck: Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang scored in the shootout as the Penguins sent 19,689 Philadelphians home disappointed following a 3-2 Penguin victory. Luckily, Philadelphia is not as hard as Pittsburgh on their athletes (according to Ryan Clark), so maybe the fans have already forgotten about it.

Both Penguin regulation goals were on the power play, with one by Bill Guerin and the other by Crosby. It was the first time since November 28 that the power play generated more than one goal.

Marc-Andre Fleury saved 31 of 33, and Crosby kept his perfect 2009-10 shootout record going (he's now 5-for-5). The Pens next travel to Buffalo for a Saturday night matchup. [PG]

Is this the reason for the Flyers' swoon? Deadspin examines the latest Scott Hartnell-Jeff Carter rumor that's been circulating, and the history of stories like these. Whether this is true or false, things are definitely not well across the state. [Deadspin]

Ben and the Bus on different roads: The Steelers' QB had a message for former teammate Jerome Bettis, who officially buried the 2009 Steelers during an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show.

Said Roethlisberger: "I guess he's entitled to his opinion. He's not on this team, he's not in this locker room, so he's just taking an outside view as all of you (media) guys are. If you don't know, I don't think you should speak on it.''

Not a good week for the Steeler-media relationship, which is looking strained, to say the least. At least no golf clubs have been involved. [Trib]

Matt Capps Derby in home stretch: The former Pirate is selecting finalists soon, as if he's participating in a reality show called "The Closer". The Washington Nationals seem to be a leading contender to land a rose and advance to the next round. This guy clearly has a soft spot in his heart for bad treams [MLB Trade Rumors]

Another movie filming in Pittsburgh - This one stars Denzel Washington, Rosario Dawson, and Star Trek's Chris Pine, and is called Unstoppable. Channel 11 takes you behind the scenes. [WPXI]

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PENS-FLYERS, ROUND 2

The Pens and Flyers get it on tonight at the Wachovia Center, and as the above trifecta of clips from Tuesday's beatdown would illustrate, there is no love lost between the two teams.

A 6-1 win over Philadelphia always puts a smile on the face of a Penguin fan, but a win on Philly ice always holds a special place. Between February 7, 1974 and February 2, 1989, the Penguins played 42 games at the Spectrum and won a grand total of zero. That's right, 0-39-3. And we thought it was a big deal when the Browns went a few years between wins against the Steelers.

The good news coming out of the Pens' morning skate is that Bill Guerin participated and will play tonight. Guerin sat out of practice yesterday after being hit in the leg with a shot against Philadelphia on Tuesday. It's good to have all hands on deck when going against the Flyers, and the guys certainly sound like they are ready for battle (says Evgeni Malkin: "I'm ready. I have a helmet.")

Here's hoping tonight once again gives us a jubilant Penguin team leaving the ice in Philly just like they did after Game 3 in 2008.

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RYAN CLARK WALKS AWAY WITH RANT OF THE YEAR AWARD

Human projectile Ryan Clark has been exhibit A in the Steelers' inability to properly tackle this season, and like any player on a slumping team, he's being criticized accordingly. Rather than accept that some fan bases have a few loose screws that send the occasional ranting letter to their underperforming players, Clark took a different angle, posting the offending letter in the locker room for all to see (it was later taken down by the team). And that was just the beginning.

In a wide-ranging rant, Clark at one point called the media "turds" [video] and said he will no longer be open with them. “I’m open with y’all,” said Clark. “I gave you my soul. Never again.”

That was pleasant. And yes, it kept going...

Clark said the unhappy fans don't understand how much work goes into every game, and he suggested he's no longer playing for all of them. He also said the Steelers, one of the NFL's most popular franchises, are held to a higher standard in Pittsburgh than teams in other NFL markets."You watch the Eagles, you watch the big plays. You watch things given up (on defense)," Clark said Wednesday. "And I started checking other media outlets. You don't hear the things about them in their media that you hear about us. So either we're held to a higher standard or the people that write about us are (expletive)."

If you'd ever print a manual on what not to do to a Pittsburgh media and fan base, page one would be to unfavorably compare it to Philadelphia, a city that hasn't won an NFL championship since 1960. Big mistake. You can rip on these booing fans all you want, but they have long memories. If you thought they were hard before, this was like pouring an Exxon station on a bonfire. And the worst part? THERE'S MORE.

"'Ryan, you and the defense thoroughly suck.' That's what he wrote," said Clark. "That's funny to me. I'm not upset with the guy. I don't want to go to his house and fight him. That's his opinion and that's how he feels. I don't know what he does for a living. Whether he's an accountant. I can't go talk to him about how he crunches numbers. I can't go talk to him about how he teaches his class and things like that."

Big Mistake #2: Clark committed the classic hypocrisy of stating that he's not upset with the guy that wrote the letter, yet he publicly posted it and read it to the media. If he didn't care about it, he wouldn't bring it up. He does care about it. And he just gave the guy who wrote it the biggest thrill of his life. So congratulations, Nameless Steeler Letter Writer. You officially rattled the second-leading tackler on the team (who happened to be the winner of the team's award for media cooperation named after Art Rooney last year). Think these Steelers are wound a little too tightly these days?

Steelers' Clark Turns Tables On Media, Fans [WTAE]

Steelers' Clark: 'I Gave You My Soul. Never Again' [WPXI]

Clark Lashes Out [Entire Transcript of Interview] - Trib

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TODAY'S HEADLINES

Penguins staying busy: What do millionaire hockey players do in their downtime, you ask? Would you guess "stuffing the strength and conditioning coach's Trailblazer with packing peanuts in broad daylight"? Neither would I. [Empty Netters]

Polamalu, Kemo scratched for Sunday: The weekly Mike Tomlin press conference offered lots of the usual Tomlin Talk but few answers, other than a casual throwing of butterfingered rookie DB Joe Burnett into oncoming traffic.

As for this week, S Troy Polamalu and OG Chris Kemoeatu will both have a front-row seat to The Most Disappointing Team in Football as they deal with nagging injuries - a knee for Polamalu and a knee and wrist combo platter for Kemoeatu. C Justin Hartwig and WR Hines Ward will be limited in practice but are both expected to play against Green Bay on Sunday. [Trib]

Steelers Grant a Wish: With all the bad news circulating around the Steelers, do yourself a favor and read this. The results may not be there this season, but the Steelers continue to prove that they can make dreams come true off the field. [Big Ben News]

His knee hurts, but he's not standing still: In other Troy Polamalu news, the long-haired defender recently signed with mega-agency William Morris for off-field work, endorsements, and other opportunities, including crossing over into television. Just imagine how the endorsement checks would come rolling in if he was actually playing. [Pittsburgh Business Times]

Suitors lining up for Matt Capps: There are supposedly 16 teams who have contacted the agent of Matt Capps, including...the Pittsburgh Pirates. But don't fret. I'm sure they'll outbid 15 other franchises for a guy they just nickel-and-dimed (at least in baseball finances). [NBC]

Panthers, Nittany Lions, Mountaineers named to All-American Teams:

On the Associated Press team:

Pitt- RB Deon Lewis (2nd Team), TE Dorin Dickerson (3rd)
Penn State- DT Jared Odrick (2nd), OT Dennis Landolt (3rd), LB Navorro Bowman (3rd)

On the Sports Illustrated team:

Pitt- RB Deon Lewis (2nd), OL Jason Pinkston (2nd), WR Jonathan Baldwin (Honorable Mention), TE Dorin Dickerson (HM), DL Greg Romeus (HM)

Penn State- LB Navorro Bowman (2nd)

WVU- DB Bill Hogan (HM), P Scott Kozlowski (HM)

Big Tenleven to get even bigger? Talk of expansion in the Big 10 is again in the air, so I'll throw it out there: what would be your thoughts on Pitt jumping conferences? (For the record, SI identifies four top candidates as Pitt, Syracuse, Missouri and Rutgers.) [SI]

Pitt/NBA update: Sam Young stock is up, Dejuan Blair stock is down in December. Aaron Gray stock has hit a flatline. [Bob Smizik Blog]

Rob Pettiti lives again: The much-traveled former Pitt Panther o-lineman has signed with the Carolina Panthers, taking the place of IR'ed RT Jeff Otah, also a Pitt product.

Originally a 6th round pick of Bill Parcells and the Cowboys in 2005, Pettiti has since bounced around the league, spending 2006 with former Parcells assistant Sean Payton in New Orleans, 2007 with Scott Linehan's St. Louis Rams, and 2008 on the Rams' IR list with a torn achilles. Most recently, Pettiti suited up for the UFL's Florida Tuskers and head coach Jim Haslett. [PFT]

Draft Re-do: SI Snap Judger Don Banks must have been bored today, because he re-drafted the entire 2009 first round, and in this one, Shady McCoy is a first-round pick (to Washington). I'm sure Mr. McCoy's bank account wishes that Banks would have been in Daniel Snyder's ear a few months ago. And with the 32nd pick in Don Banks' Fake Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers select... Ole Miss WR Mike Wallace. That was rather anti-climactic. [SI]

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PENS-FLYERS: THE BEST OF THE DECADE

The Penguins and Flyers resume their fierce rivalry tonight at Mellon Arena, a game which adds increased interest when you consider the Pens' relative health and unveiling of a new power play. It should be a good one, as if you needed another reason to tune in.

But exactly how good is this rivalry? SI recently named it as the best of the decade in the NHL, and the 2000 playoff game between the franchises got top honors as the game of the decade (for the record, Pens-Wings Game 7 last season was #2).

In fact, the Pens were deservedly all over the "Best Of" series, placing several players past and present on the All-Decade Team (Sidney Crosby, Jaromir Jagr, Markus Naslund, Sergei Zubov), and making several appearances on the "Memorable Performances" list, which brought back some great memories and led with the dramatic return of #66 nine years ago this month.

If you've got some time to kill this afternoon, it's an interesting series, and the individual lists are below:

• FARBER: Lidstrom leads our NHL All-Decade team
• FARBER: Highlights, lowlights of tumultuous 10 years
• MUIR: NHL's 10 signature moments of the decade
• MUIR: Best and worst trades, free agents, draft picks
• GALLERY: The decade's 10 greatest NHL games
• GALLERY: Decade's most memorable performances

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HOW WOULD YOU FIX THE STEELERS?

Everyone has their theories on what's wrong with the 2009 Pittsburgh Steelers. They've lost a step. There are too many injuries to key players. They have no offensive identity. Their defense is over the hill. The o-line stinks. The locker room is divided. It's the special teams' fault. Super Bowl hangover. They miss Dan Rooney. The list goes on and on.

What I haven't heard in as much depth is how these numerous problems would be solved in order to give Pittsburgh the future Super Bowl titles that we are entitled to by birthright. Luckily, SI columnist/restaurateur/radio host Jerome Bettis had a few thoughts today, and his three-point plan includes getting depth, spending money on the offensive line, and making the running game a priority in training camp.

I don't think anyone would argue with old #36 on his ideas, but I do think they can be expanded upon. It's pretty much a foregone conclusion that a few assistant coaches will no longer be employed by the Steelers at season's end. And several free agents seemed destined to play elsewhere in 2010.

Beyond those points, what do you think? Does the organization need a thorough housecleaning, or do you think they are only a few bad bounces away from being a playoff team? I tend to lean more towards the former, but I do believe that injuries at key spots have also played a crucial role for this specific squad. Whatever the case, if the Steelers continue their downward spiral, you can count on at least some level of changes before the 2010 edition takes the field next fall.

Bus Stops: Three-step plan to fix Steelers; Moss needs some time [SI]

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