Heinz vs the Colts, LaRoche Mania, Lebron Roast, Cold Pizza Moving, New Paris Tapes

NFL:

Check out a site called Nothin But the Truth written by a very talented writer named Eddie Gallo. This feature is his thoughts on the Mike Tomlin hire. Very good stuff!

Is Heinz really trying to bully the Indianapolis Colts and a small ketchup company?

MLB:

LaRoche Mania comes to PirateFest this weekend. I think the sky is the limit for the Pirates with LaRoche in the lineup. Is 110 wins too much to expect? In other news, McNutting, Littlefield, and Tracy will all be on hand to mingle with fans, answer questions, and presumably to reiterate their "commitment to winning".

Sammy Sosa is ready to finalize his deal with the Rangers. Thank you for this gold mine of new material, Jon Daniels (he's the GM of the Rangers who's signing off on Slammin' Sammy).

Looks like the Buccos aren't going to sign Jeff Weaver. And I am glad. That just looked like something out of those old SNL "Bad Idea Jeans" ads.

SI.com gives us the weaknesses of all 30 MLB teams. Except for the Yankees. They're flawless.

NBA:

Much like Pam Anderson, Hugh Hefner, and Bill Shatner, Lebron James will be the subject of a roast

MEDIA:

Competition for the Trenni photo on eBay: the elusive signed 8x10 of FSN's Rob King.

Mel Kiper: Scout for the porn industry?

ESPN2's Cold Pizza is moving from NYC to Bristol. Check out this quote from the article: "Way back when, a Bristol tipster told us the show had affectionately been dubbed ‘Vietnam’ because ESPN has no idea how it got into this mess, and also has no exit plan."

RANDOM FUN STUFF:

What's on the new round of Paris Hilton tapes? Your answers are just a click away.

The Buccos Want Cliff Floyd

An eagle-eyed reader sent along this nugget, courtesy of the Cincinnati Enquirer (it's buried at the bottom of the link). According to the story, OF Cliff Floyd is near agreement on a one-year deal with the Cubs, but has not made up his mind. Several AL West teams, as well as your Buccos, have an interest. The Pirates are most likely inquiring because Jim Tracy managed Floyd in Double-A ball.

.244, 11 homers, 44 RBI, and foot surgery to finish the year. Just what the Pirates need. Sorta takes the buzz off of all that "Littlefield for President" euphoria we've heard over the past week.

And on that note, I know the Adam LaRoche trade is great for morale in the clubhouse and among the fans, but what does the addition really mean to the lineup? This was a 67-95 team in 2006. In order to reach the magical 81-win plateau, that will mean a 14-game swing in 2007. Will the addition of LaRoche and the maturation of other key players add up to a 14-game difference? Let's say I have some serious doubts.

It will be interesting to see what LaRoche's presence means for Jason Bay's protection in the lineup. Say what you want about LaRoche, but he's an upgrade over their 2005 opening-day 3-hole hitter: the computer generated Tike Redman.

Related: Where Have You Gone, Andy Van Slyke gives us another reason why Littlefield pursued LaRoche with such passion.

Site News

--First off, thanks to Mark Madden of ESPN Radio 1250 in Pittsburgh for the mention yesterday about my Adam LaRoche piece. Also thanks go out to all the readers that sent emails about the mention. Don't forget to listen to Mark each weekday from 3-7 PM on 1250 AM or online at www.espnradio1250.com. He's been a great supporter of the site.

--John M. is the first winner of the Mondesi's House link submission contest. He submitted the photo of Big Ben with Carson Daly and what appears to be Mario Lopez.

For his great work, he will receive an AUTOGRAPHED Ben Roethlisberger Football Card from steelcityauctions.com. Readers, don't forget to send your interesting links, photos and thoughts to mondesishouse@gmail.com for the next prize. I've decided to announce the prizes in advance from now on, so you know what you'll be in the running for.

--Couple of changes in the comments department. As you have probably noticed, you have to be a registered user to post. No more anonymous posts from faceless people. Also, the comments now have a pop-up window and there is no longer "word verification" required...long a nemesis of the Mondesi comments section. So feel free to register and throw in your two cents here and there.

--I also added a "hot topics" bar at the top of the page with links to the posts generating the most traffic.

--I've received a few questions on permanent link policies, so here goes. If it is a unique sports or entertainment site, preferably Pittsburgh-based, and I think the readers will enjoy it, then I'll gladly trade links. I'm looking for quality sites that are updated on a regular basis, because there's limited room for links available.

--This week has set a new record for site traffic, so I hope that means you like what you're reading. There have been literally tens of thousands of visitors who've passed through since Sunday. I appreciate each and every one of my loyal readers and welcome those finding the site for the first time this week.

LaRoche is a Pirate, Finally

The most hyped Pirate trade in quite some time finally went down today, according to ESPN.com. Adam LaRoche, the first baseman now formerly of Atlanta, is our newest Bucco, while reliever Mike Gonzalez becomes a Brave. The trade should give some much-needed pop to the Pirates' lineup, as LaRoche hit .285 with 32 HR and 90 RBI in 2006. Gonzalez went 3-4 with 24 saves and a 2.17 ERA for the Pirates in 2006.

LaRoche, like Pirate Freddy Sanchez, is up for salary arbitration this off-season. LaRoche is reportedly looking for $3.7 million, where Atlanta was offering up $2.8. Gonzalez had a 2006 salary of $347,000.

So LaRoche leaves an organization known for failing in the clutch and joins an organization that never has even a chance to fail in the clutch. Either way, he's not going to win it all.

So who is Adam LaRoche, you ask? Well, here's a juicy LaRoche nugget to chew on, courtesy of Wikipedia:

LaRoche was heavily criticized for a lackadaisical error he committed in a game on May 14, 2006. He shuffled to first base so slowly on a routine groundball he had easily fielded, that Washington Nationals baserunner Nick Johnson was able to beat him to the bag. LaRoche had turned his back to the play and was unaware that the runner had sped up. He was already moving towards the dugout when he saw the runner called safe, much to his disbelief. It should have been the third out of the inning, but instead the inning continued with four runs eventually scoring. The normally genteel Atlanta crowd booed LaRoche for the rest of the game and the blunder was replayed repeatedly by local Atlanta media. Manager Bobby Cox even benched LaRoche for some of the next game as punishment. This incident is said to reflect LaRoche's struggles with Attention Deficit Disorder.

A first baseman with ADD. A third baseman with a clubbed foot. An outfielder who pondered retirement at age 26. Yes, 2007 is shaping up to be quite a year of baseball in the Burgh.