No, this is not a copy of an earlier post, although it could be by this point in the season: James Harrison has been fined yet again by the NFL.
This time, the penalty is $25,000 for a very questionable roughing the passer call committed while hitting Buffalo's Ryan Fitzpatrick on Sunday. That brings Harrison's season total to a whopping $125,000 on the year, a simply laughable amount especially in light of other penalties doled out (or not doled out) by the league in recent weeks. Richard Seymour was fined the same $25K for dropping the Steelers' quarterback after the play, while Cortland Finnegan and Andre Johnson were fined $25K for a helmets-off fight on Sunday. And that's really the same as what Harrison did or didn't do on Sunday? Please. And spare me the "track record" argument. Finnegan is well known as one of the league's dirtiest players, and the Steeler incident wasn't Seymour's first rodeo, either.
Is the NFL, which I once considered a smart league, really as clueless as it appears in the matters of discipline consistency?
Deadspin fired a few shots this morning at Sidney Crosby in the aftermath of last night's Penguin victory over the NY Rangers, asking this question: "Does Crosby get away with things that other players, even stars like Alexander Ovechkin, can't?"
As long as Crosby's been around (and as long as he will be around), people will bring this up. It's a tired argument, and one that happens to all major stars in all sports. Does Kobe get the calls? Does Lebron? Or Brady? Or Manning? Did Jordan?
It's a time-tested mix of nine parts Haterade tossed in with one part actual reality, I'm sure. Of course the elite of the elite players get the benefit of the doubt from some officials. But the fact of the matter is that no one's buying a ticket to watch Brandon Dubinsky or Curtis Painter or Eddie House. This is not breaking news, despite the title of this post.
Rules are rules, but they're always open to interpretation. And as long as humans are officiating pro sports, questions like these are going to arise. I'd actually take it as a compliment. In fact, I wish the NFL would treat Ben Roethlisberger and James Harrison with the kid gloves they get accused of wearing when handling the Bradys and Mannings of the league.
Due to a mini family emergency last weekend, I was unable to watch the Backyard Brawl live and subsequently unable to provide any semblance of a timely, relevant recap. But some time has passed, many people have aired a their opinions on the state of the program, and I've come up with some thoughts of my own. If that's of interest of you, there's more after the jump.
We've got some Pirate roster moves, a nude Ochocinco, TO vs. Big Ben, Rashard Mendenhall's new job, and the death of a forced Penn State rivalry. It's a full plate, but you should still save room for pumpkin pie. Just a word of advice.
Bad news, Panther fans...EA Sports simulated the Backyard Brawl via NCAA Football '11 and WVU won, 26-14. Unfortunately, even the computerized version of the Panthers chokes in big games.
So who does everyone like on Friday, in the non-computerized version? Do the 'Eers win one for embattled Bill Stewart or does Pitt win one for the slightly less embattled Wannstache?
I don't know why I'm acting like anything said on the T. Ocho Show is relevant, but here's a clip from the most recent episode in which the reality stars who double as the face of a disappointing football team take a cheap shot at Big Ben.
It was Owens who referred to the Steeler QB as 'soft' for being taken down so quickly by Richard Seymour, which is an adjective probably more appropriate in describing his 2010 Bengal teammates, who allowed 35 unanswered to Buffalo on Sunday. That's soft, Mr. Owens.
And by the way, I still haven't forgiven Troy Polamalu for appearing on this show earlier this season. I sure hope it sold a lot of extra shampoo.
No one can ever say Jeff Reed and Tommy Kelly don't have anything in common, because I now know that they both hate the Heinz Field turf with a passion. That and other Steeler notes from today:
This weekend, I'll be venturing to the palatial location of Nemacolin Woodlands Resort for the annual Tim Umbel Scholarship Auction, to be held Saturday night at 7 PM at their Sundial Ski Lodge.
This was a tremendously fun event to participate in last year, and I'm really looking forward to this Saturday's festivities. There will be ample food and drink, a DJ, TVs showing all the big games of the night, and an enormous silent auction loaded with signed memorabilia from your Pittsburgh sports heroes, with proceeds benefiting the Tim Umbel Scholarship Fund.
I can assure you that this is not a boring, buttoned-down, black-tie auction. It's a really fun, young crowd and a great atmosphere, with items up for bidding that will fit everyone's budget. I'm especially counting on our sizable Fayette County contingent to drop by.
Admission is free, so if you're available, please join us for a few hours on Saturday in the name of a very good cause.
On Friday, I wrote a column outlining why I worried about the Oakland Raiders game. By Sunday afternoon, I was looking rather foolish after the Steelers had their way with Al Davis' team, and very happy I was wrong.
Some thoughts on the Flag Fest disguised as NFL football on Sunday, with illustration courtesy of Shaun Suisham:
Sunday's Steeler-Raider game featured 21 penalties, including 14 on the Steelers for a franchise-record 163 yards, nearly matching the total of the Raiders offense (182). Who was the official with the historically quick trigger? Tony Corrente, an NFL official since 1995 and the referee of Super Bowl XLI.
In a ridiculously-officiated game that's already resulted in a Steeler franchise record for penalty yards, it was this action by Richard Seymour against Big Ben that sort of sums up the chaos that went down on Sunday afternoon. Can't wait to hear the fallout in the aftermath of this game, but expect it to be rather vocal, much like the fans in attendance.
Joe Paterno, shown above throwing The Roc, is certainly experiencing a tough season. How tough? The four 20-point losses PSU has experienced are the most since 1897, back in Paterno's second year as coach. But this season aside, JoePa's body of work was not lost on Congress, which took time out of their schedule to honor the veteran coach for his 400th win on Wednesday.
The resolution was sponsored by PA Congressman Glenn Thompson and co-signed by 31 representatives, including Pennsylvania's 18 other U.S. House members who know a good PR op when they see it.
We take a lot of shots as JoePa in these parts (mostly due to the lack of a chance to settle the Pitt-Penn State rivalry on the field each year), but 400 wins is 400 wins, and odds are it's never going to happen again in today's impatient college football culture. So congrats to the man I think is the greatest college football coach of all time.
With that out of the way, we can now start Dave Wannstedt's countdown to the elusive milestone. 36 down, 364 more to go!
It's Thursday, and that means another installment of Best of the Web, featuring the Top 20 links of the week.
We've got Patriots accusations towards the Steelers, Roethlisburger recipes, Penguins dishing out turkey, Canuck fans ejected from the CEC, Pirate free agent news, a plethora of Burgh-related honors, and much, much more. Consider your lunch-hour reading needs at least semi-fulfilled.
And for your bonus non-sports, non-Pittsburgh link, I direct you to the streaming version of last night's South Park season finale, skewering The Food Network and the Shake Weight. It's a solid 9, and a 10 if you've ever watched more than one hour of The Food Network in your life.
Apparently our fair city is dirtier than I ever imagined, ranking 10th in the country in a study conducted by the American Lung Assocation. It's not the BCS, but at least it's some national ranking we can hang our hat on this fall and winter.
The study isn't based on, say, a lack of people taking showers, but rather the quality of the air we're breathing here in Pittsburgh. In the category of short-term particle pollution rank, we're #3, and in year-round particle pollution rank, #5. That's good for the old strength-of-schedule.
But it could be worse. At least we don't live in California, home to seven of the top 10 dirtiest cities. They're like the SEC of grimy air in this country, represented by Sacramento, Modesto, Hanford, Visalia, Fresno, LA, and Bakersfield. Now that's something to aspire to.
In response to the much-discussed Top 100 list of NFL players on the NFLN, Deadspin has released their list of the 100 worst players of all time, painstakingly compiled by Jeff Pearlman.
Our man Limas Sweed checked in at #20, and although the final chapter hasn't been written in his story, maybe it has. FB Dick Leftridge of the Steelers, the third overall pick in the 1966 draft, was close by at #22, with QB George Izo, a one-year Steeler in '66, ranked #92. I guess Huey Richardson and Jamain Stephens were somehow not eligible, but narrowing the entire NFL universe down to 100 names is quite a tall task.
Consider this the rare occasion of a compilation list we're glad doesn't feature many of our own.
For the complete list: part I (100-51) and part II (50-1).
Suisham was in Steeler camp in 2005 and has since had two stops in Dallas, two in Washington, and stints with San Francisco, Cleveland, and St. Louis. He's the definition of the word "journeyman," and he's the author of a kick called "The Choke". But he's far, far behind Reed in scandalous internet photos and fan criticism. And since you can't get any worse than last in the league in field goal percentage, I guess the team has nowhere to go but up.
Here are a few thoughts bouncing around my head on a Tuesday morning. And thanks to the Jeff Reed Internet Photo Archives (aka Google Images) for the illustration.
1. Adam Schefter of ESPN reported yesterday that the Steelers will be working out kickers today, and the only name I've heard so far is Shaun Suisham, a former Redskin and Cowboy who lost out to Reed in Steeler camp in '05.
Look, Skippy had a good run here, but it's in everyone's best interest to part ways at this stage of the game. The cons far outweigh the pros with Reed at this point: least successful field goal kicker in the league in 2010, called his bosses liars in the offseason, several arrests, countless internet embarrassments to the franchise, ripped the team's field/fans/media, and the icing on the cake, he's paid among the top five kickers in the league. I'll let First Blood summarize things quicker and neater than I could:
2. Tough loss for the Pens last night, finally beating Henrik Lundqvist at 17:29 of the third to tie the game at 1, then taking the lead just 38 seconds later courtesy of Matt Cooke. After Lundqvist momentarily lost his mind and smashed his stick to the point of drawing a penalty, Marc Staal tied things up once again on a short-handed goal, and the Rangers eventually won in OT on a Ryan Callahan two-on-one-break goal.
That game's final three minutes (and OT) was a roller-coaster ride of emotions for both teams' fans, but someone was going to exit with a heartbreaking loss Unfortunately, that was the team we root for, but you can't say they ever gave up. Lundqvist was a brick wall for 57 minutes and the Pens kept firing, to the tune of 39 shots in all. It was by no means a perfect game (most notably the 0-for-6 power play), but the team put in a solid effort and at least salvaged a point when that looked to be impossible at times.
3. I don't know how exactly I'm supposed to feel about this Clint Hurdle hiring and the process of finding a new manager for the Buccos. I know I'm glad they went for experience, but what if Hurdle went to the Mets? Would the Pirates have settled for Jeff Banister? How do you have two finalists that have such wildly different credentials?
Hurdle certainly brings something to the table the Pirates haven't had, and that's recent success, with both the Rangers and the Rockies. He said all the right things in his intro press conference and has already showed more of a personality than John Russell did in three years. Make no doubt about it, the Pirates absolutely need that to attempt to sell some tickets in the offseason.
But ultimately in baseball, it comes down to the players. Jim Leyland was a great manager here when he had Bonds, Bonilla, and Drabek, but his win total dropped 21 games from 1992 to 1993 with the likes of Al Martin and Steve Cooke in their places. Managers are only as good as their players, but the question here is how good the Pirates' players can be. I can say one thing for sure: they have to be better than what they showed under John Russell in 2008, 2009 and 2010.
4. It must be tough to be a Washington Redskin fan. One day your coach and his son/offensive coordinator are telling you their franchise QB doesn't know how to run the two-minute offense and that's he basically out of shape, the next day the team is giving that same inept QB a $78 million deal which could go to $88 million if certain incentives are met.
Unfortunately, signing an embattled employee didn't work out for the Redskins like it did a few years ago for Pitt, when Wanny got extended and subsequently gave us 13-9 in West Virginia. The Skins were humiliated last night by Donovan McNabb's old Eagle team, which scored 28 points by the end of the first quarter alone and 59 on the evening. And it showed me that Andy Reid knew what he was doing when he traded McNabb within his division. Compare the stat lines of last night's QBs:
Plus, there's the detail that Vick also ran for 80 yards and 2 TDs and was turnover-free. So here's a question: if McNabb's value has been set at $78 million, what is now considered a fair price for Vick?
5. If there's one storyline in the NFL I'm tired of, it's the "Who's The Best Team This Week" angle.
Peter King said there isn't one, then he ranked the Jets at the top of his list. Sorry latte man, you can't have it both ways. It's a stupid, pointless argument. This isn't college football, where quality of wins means something. There is a very clear-cut system in place to enable the most deserving teams to play for the championship.
Why does this country put so much stock (and pageviews) into Power Rankings? The only ranking that means anything is where your team sits when the season ends.
At one point this season, Greg Romeus was looked at as a potential Top-10 NFL draft pick. Now, he'll have to prove that he's healthy enough to play at the next level, as it was announced today by the Wannstache that Romeus will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL, thus ending his Pitt career rather abruptly.
Adding another entry in the legacy of great Pittsburgh sportswear, Jeff Reed wore a "Haters Hate" t as he talked post-loss about Pittsburgh fans who buy tickets specifically to boo himself, Dan Sepulveda, and Greg Warren.
He also spoke about fans and media on the radio talking negatively, which he then said he doesn't listen to. Oh, this is going to get good.
I didn't know I still had any vomit left in my system after the Pitt game on Thursday night, but alas, I was wrong. Thoughts on the nauseating Sunday-nighter against the Pats:
One thing I've learned over the years as a fan of Pitt football: just when you start to feel the least bit good about yourself, you should prepare to be let down. It's a pattern that never fails.
As you can now see, CBS corporate recently made some changes to their local websites, changes that trickled down to yours truly.
The respective sites of The Fan, KDKA-TV, and KDKA-AM have all been rolled into one site, as is the case in other CBS markets. All of my previous posts should be moving over to the new site if they're not already there, and this is also where you will find them in the future. The "Mondesi's House at The Fan" feed will be found here for those of you into that.
As for the content I'll be posting on the new site, "Best of the Web" will be sticking around through the transition, and we may be rolling out some other features once I get up to speed on the new system. And as always, thanks for your continued support in making this little partnership a success.
I tried to pick some interesting links for this week's Best of the Web column at 93.7 The Fan, and the haul includes how Jerry Jones spent his time post-Wade firing, a new Terrible Towel, Steeler Christmas ornaments, the NHL's fantasy-drafted All-Star Game, the dirtiness of Pitt basketball, Georges Laraque in a new movie, and much, much more.
It's been a busy month for items of local interest on the national auction circuit, with the nun-owned Honus Wagner card and more recently the lockers of Mario Lemieux and Sidney Crosby from the Igloo. But this latest offering isn't too shabby, either.
We knew that this season wouldn't be easy for the Steelers, not with a schedule that currently ranks third in the league in the category of opponents' winning percentage. But after the Cincinnati game, they're really battling another enemy: injuries.
Well that was a lot more dramatic of a conclusion than I anticipated. Nonetheless, a win is a win, and I'll take it. Thoughts from last night's action:
Last night was the highly-anticipated Halloween episode of Fox's Family Guy spinoff, The Cleveland Show, and as you can see, series "star" Cleveland Brown for some reason went as Willie Stargell. Other than the All-Star Game, I think this is the first time a Pirate's ever been mentioned on Fox in prime time.
Usually when I get an email from a TMZ employee, I cringe in advance of the news. Which Steeler got arrested? Who got accused? Who's in the unfortunate picture?
Luckily, this one wasn't so bad: several Steelers, including Byron Leftwich, Rashard Mendenhall, and Casey Hampton took down some ribs at the Montgomery Inn in Cincinnati this afternoon, and left a whopping 80% tip. Considering the source, I've never been more relieved to hear about an uneventful pre-game meal in my life.
'Tis the season for charity auctions, and this is a big one: the Mario Lemieux Foundation is auctioning the locker stalls used by Mario and Sidney Crosby at the Mellon Arena. Commence salivating, collectors.
Last week was bad - for me and for you. I felt like this poor, pathetic Bengal being hated on by Hines. The Steelers, Wolverines, and Mountaineers cost us in a big way, so we've got to bounce back this week. On the menu: Steelers-Bengals, Penn State-Northwestern, Utah-TCU, Eagles-Colts, and Ravens-Dolphins. Let's roll...
Seats from the arena will go on sale to Penguin season ticket holders in the next few days, a sale that will run until Nov. 30. That will be followed by a sale to the general public on Dec. 1. A pair of seats will cost $495. Buyers can choose from red, blue, black and, of course, orange seats, but they will not be able to request individual seat numbers. About 5,000 seat pairs will be available for purchase.
The seat sale will be followed by an online auction Dec. 8 for other arena memorabilia, some of which will include Penguins logos or the signatures of players.
The auction portion of the sale will take place on IglooSeats.com, and is expected to raise in the ballpark of $1.6 million for the SEA and $800,000 for the Penguins, who will donate their share to their foundation.The SEA's share ultimately could be used to help pay for the demolition of the Igloo.
There was a pretty lousy Penguin game last night, unless 5-2 losses in Dallas are your thing.
Fortunately, we came away with one video clip for the archives, that of Sidney Crosby throwing down with Matt Niskanen at 12:33 of the second period, with the Pens firmly in a three-goal hole. It was one of four fights in the frisky game's first two periods, the main event of an undercard featuring Jamie Benn-Tyler Kennedy in the first period, Benn vs.Chris Kunitz in the second, and Brenden Morrow and Kris Letang later in the second. I never realized there was so much animosity between these two teams, but if it involves disliking Dallas for any reason, I'm on board.
The 6-6-1 Pens are back in action Friday night at 10 against 5-7-1 Anaheim.
For the link-starved among you, I once again offer a veritable buffet of interesting stories from around the web in this week's column for The Fan, "Best of the Web: The Top 20 Links of the Week".
We've got Max Being Max, Anthony Morelli's new gig, Penguins doing chores, hockey players hitting the reset button on their seasons, Penn State fans beating down one of their own, and much, MUCH more. If only I could've delayed this one more day, I would've linked the upcoming Trib story about the McRib in Pittsburgh, with quotes from yours truly. But alas, the show must go on.
I must admit, hearing that the Minnesota Vikings already gave up on Randy Moss after four games was pretty comical. For the 13 catches, 174 yards, 2 TDs, and one hilarious press conference that Moss generated, Brad Childress gifted old friend Bill Belichick with a third-round pick. And the worst part for Chilly was that the Vikings only won one of those four games. But don't laugh too hard at Minnesota's generous ways with valuable draft picks. Something very similar happened in our own backyard yesterday.
