News and Notes: The Beard is Sheared

In today's news and notes: Pitt/WVU recap, Keisel shaves his beard, Bettis makes a Hall of Fame, Ike Taylor talking with Steelers, and an interesting quote from a Pitt Panther entering the NFL draft:

Media Day Serious as Usual

Some of the Tuesday/Media Day highlights from around the web:

Ike Taylor Will Lay Out Santonio Holmes, Says Ike Taylor

Reason #15,671 why the NFL is better than the NBA: if players are friends away from the game, you still get quotes like these, from Ike Taylor on Santonio Holmes, on what they intend to do to one another once gametime rolls around:

"I'm not going to hesitate to lay him out," Taylor said, according to the New York Post. "No question at all. You know why? Because he ain't going to hesitate to crack on me if he gets a chance. I love him and that's my boy, but when we get between those white lines, it's a whole different deal. I'm going to try to be as disrespectful as possible once we get between those white lines. Friendship doesn't enter into it then."

Fanboys like myself get all excited at such a quote, but really, Taylor's just being honest. What's he supposed to do? Not tackle Santonio? And even if that is his plan, he's going to say it out loud so it becomes a storyline days before the game?

That being said, I still enjoy hearing a Steeler say they're not hesitant to lay Santonio out. It's good drama, no?

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Email: mondesishouse@gmail.com

CHANGES A-COMIN'

After yesterday's epic fail against Oakland, coach Mike Tomlin revealed the following bits of info in relation to the upcoming game against the Browns on Thursday:

--CBs Joe Burnett and Keenan Lewis will not only play but could start against the Browns. CB Ike Taylor, nursing burn wounds, might find a place on the Steeler bench.

--CB William Gay, who suffered a concussion against Oakland, will undergo neurological tests. If he is able to play, he may not start.

--WR Hines Ward is doubtful because of a late-game hamstring injury, so Limas Sweed moves up the depth chart (gulp) and a receiver will be signed for depth. Either Sweed or Mike Wallace will start in Ward's place. I'm putting my money on Wallace. Call it a hunch.

--S Troy Polamalu will likely miss his fourth straight game with a knee injury. Call that the Madden Curse.

--RB Rashard Mendenhall will get limited reps in practice this week because of an ankle injury.

--And to the best of my knowledge, there were no promises to unleash anything else this month.

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FOOTBALL SEASON IS GETTING CLOSER

We're finally entering the end of the sports black hole between hoisting the Stanley Cup and heading to Latrobe, and I, for one, couldn't be happier. Yeah, yeah, I know we have a "professional" baseball team in town, but they rarely score runs and seem to be focused on 2011 as a date to once again be competitive. So that leaves football next on our agenda, and we'll take it in any flavor at this point, be it professional, collegiate, or made-for-TV, like the taping of "Shaq Vs." on Friday night.

The Big Artistotle and the Big Benjamin took to Ambridge's Rubenstein Stadium and electrified thousands of onlookers who wisely seized the opportunity to watch two of the world's sports titans face off on the gridiron. It was surely a nice break from a stressful week for Roethlisberger, who whooped it up for the cameras and got some love from the home crowd, which camped out as long as four hours for the one-of-a-kind taping. Yes, more bad news could be coming for #7, but on this evening, it was all smiles for the two-time champion.

In the matters of real NFL news, first-round pick Ziggy Hood was all smiles this weekend as he agreed to a five-year deal, making him just the fourth first-rounder from the 2009 draft to do so. With Hood now in the fold, the Steelers expect to have all 80 players on their roster reporting when training camp opens on Friday. That's music to my ears, with the song being "The Steeler Polka", of course.

Hood will soon find out that teammate Ike Taylor is fast. Just how fast? He ran a 4.26 in the 40 at Disney's Wide World of Sports, prompting his speed coach, Tom Shaw, to remark, "Ike is the fastest kid I've ever trained."

Shaw's list includes such notable burners as Deion Sanders and Titans RB Chris Johnson, who ran the fastest time ever (4.24) at the combine. Again, this is all news that should make Steeler fans very happy.

Outside of Hood and Taylor, the Steelers have 78 other men under their wing going into camp, and the PG had a neat piece outlining everyone from Dennis Dixon to Greg Warren. I must say, there's some intriguing names on this list. Starting at the top, I think Mike Reilly is the prototypical training camp QB that fans could latch onto. RB Frank "The Tank" Summers is already an internet sensation and reminds Steeler fans of (drum roll, please...) Jerome Bettis. Stefan Logan could be verrry interesting. And putting all jokes from last year aside, I can't wait to see where Limas Sweed is at this year.

There are new starters (William Gay, Lawrence Timmons), and guys returning from injury (Rashard Mendenhall, Dan Sepulveda). There are guys with a lot to prove (Bruce Davis) and guys who are still hanging around from the class of '98 (Hines Ward, Charlie Batch, Deshea Townsend). And there are lots of guys in their contract years who want to break the bank.

Yes, there are plenty of reasons to be thrilled about training camp, and the countdown is in the home stretch. Are you ready for some football? I am. I'm ready for lots and lots of football, as a matter of fact. We need to be patient for just a few short days, my football-loving friends. And the payoff, it shall be great.


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YOUR SHOT AT RUNNING THE STEELERS

If you've ever wanted the chance to boss around Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes, and a bunch of other millionaire athletes, today is your lucky day.

ESPN 1250 is auctioning off the opportunity to be a serve as an honorary coach for the second annual Hines Ward Celebrity Softball Game, to be played Saturday, June 6th at Duquesne Field in Green Tree Borough.

The opportunity includes:

- Photo with Hines Ward prior to game.
- Softball signed by Hines Ward.
- Hines Ward Celebrity Softball game t-shirt.
- Opportunity to appear in the team photo (taken at top of the 4th inning).
- Opportunity to coach the first three innings of the game.

Steelers expected to attend include Ben Roethlisberger, Brett Keisel, James Harrison, James Farrior, Jeff Reed, Santonio Holmes, Max Starks, Willie Parker, Deshea Townsend, Ike Taylor and Hines Ward. To that, I can only say, "Wow".

The auction ends on Friday morning at 11:59 AM, so if you want to pretend to be Mike Tomlin for the afternoon and attempt to tell James Harrison what to do, time is running out.

Coach the Champs [ESPN 1250]

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MEDIA DAY LOOKS TOUGH

That's Cardinals DT Gabe Watson at the stressful Super Bowl week event known as Media Day, which is happening today.

ESPN is live-blogging the event and has dug up some interesting nuggets, including Troy Polamalu's status as the resident practical-joker, Ike Taylor's plan for Larry Fitzgerald ("Just got to jump"), Mike Tomlin talking poetry, and Aaron Smith on MMA.

NFL Nation [ESPN]

Today's videos making the early rounds:

The Phoenix mayor disgracing the Terrible Towel (haven't people learned yet?)

and a new Mike Tomlin Coors Light Parody

Send your news, tips, and links to Mondesishouse@gmail.com.

NEWS AND NOTES

--Rather large hockey game tonight in Detroit. Time to break out your Hossa Penguins jersey, which is now considered a throwback. [PG]

--Why does Dan Rooney fall for Barack Obama? Gene Collier has your answer. [PG]

--After all these years, why can't Ike Taylor catch a football? That's a good question. [Mark Madden]

--Sergei Gonchar's injury is one of the costliest in sports. [Yahoo! Sports]

--Have you seen the 309-pound high school quarterback? [Deadspin]

--And along the lines of hefty athletes, here's the 10 greatest fat guy moments in sports. [on205th]

--Wondering what Rowdy Roddy Piper's been up to? Wonder no more. [TMZ]

--Get familiar with Bobby Jindal, the 37-year-old Indian American governor of Louisiana who might be the new face of the Republican party. [Yahoo! News]

--Here's 5 notably terrible sports video games. You're saying Kurt Warner's Arena Football was terrible?

--It's the top 16 sports movie villains of all time. Any list with Ivan Drago is a good list. [Uncoachable]

Send your news, tips, and links to Mondesishouse@gmail.com.

This May Top Them All

This newly-listed auction makes the respective Cowher and Roethlisberger auctions pale in comparison. I present to you...

IKE TAYLOR'S 1986 Chevy Monte Carlo

Ike's car, spokesvehicle for this business' aforementioned "wheel specials"

The much-maligned defensive back is listing this through the same person currently peddling the Roethlisberger wheels. I don't know how one gets the job as celebrity car consignment salesman, but I wish I had the idea. I've never heard of another business that gets so much free publicity.

Consider this ride pimped

According to the auction, the car was custom built for Ike at a cost of $60,000. I'm guessing the majority of that money was spent on rims and speakers.

Beautiful, just beautiful.

So what's going on with the Steelers suddenly selling their rides? Cash shortage? Coach Tomlin coming down hard on everyone's high-priced toys? Guys saving up for a new ride? All of these seem like rational explanations, but I'll go out on a limb and guess that Ike wants to go back to the good ol' days of dragging along Uncle Francois in a tire.

Related:

Cowher Auction

Cowher Auction Wrapup

Roethlisberger Auction

Facemeike.com - Ike's homepage

The House That Ben Built

Just in to the tipline, a reader sends along alleged photographs of Ben Roethlisberger's new house. Normally I wouldn't consider where a sports figure lives as news, but the P-G ended that taboo today with their coverage of Mike Tomlin's new digs in Shadyside. I guess info like this is important to Steeler fans, and like the P-G, I'm here to please you, the reader.

(click for full size)

In other Steeler news, Ike Taylor was unfortunately chosen as the player to represent the Steelers on ESPN's Cold Pizza this morning. Cold Pizza is going through each team with a look back at what happened in 2006 and what might happen in 2007.

Why do I say unfortunate? Because Ike Taylor will never be confused with a spokesman on any level whatsoever. Some of his thoughts on the Steelers (and these aren't the exact quotes verbatim, but you get the point):

On their 2006 struggles: "We had a lot of inconsistency. You know, we weren't consistent."

On the hiring of Mike Tomlin as coach: "We have a good front office. They know what they're doing. What have they won, like five Super Bowls?"

Yeaaaah...I think the next time, the Steelers will think about letting Ike talk on live TV before giving him the green light.

Ike also thought that his benching will only make him stronger, because he's been through a lot in his life. Unless you don't believe the stories about his "Uncle Francois" sitting in a truck tire and made a pre-teen Taylor drag him around to the point of exhaustion, keeping him up as late as 2 AM. Or the story about Uncle Francois making Ike chase a rabbit to increase his speed.

Ike Taylor...one of my very favorite Steelers. And to second what he wished for the 2007 season, I hope he does become a shut down corner.

Someone Get Gus Johnson a Sedative

Editor's note 12/2/06: A welcome to all the reader's finding this piece after reading Bill Simmons' December 1, 2006 article mentioning Gus. If you like Simmons, odds are you will like Mondesi's House, especially if you're from Pittsburgh. So please feel free to look around. And now, on to what you really came for...some insight into the world of Gus Johnson...

There are pluses and minuses with having a bad season in the NFL. A plus is obviously a higher draft pick; a minus is the TV coverage for your favorite team. For the Phil Simms and Jim Nantz haters out there, just remember that they are CBS's #1 team.

That fact was made painfully obvious by Sunday's Steelers-Browns matchup in Cleveland. Fans were "treated" to the team of former Buffalo special teams wizard Steve Tasker and the always-excitable Gus Johnson. Johnson is so animated, he could make a broadcast of a Raiders-Texans game seem crucial. For those of you with sensitive ears, the volume of Johnson's voice could be very hazardous. Especially on that final call of the jump ball. I think my ears are still ringing.
Time to tune it down a notch, big guy. This is two teams battling to stay out of the basement, not the AFC Championship.

Announcers aside, this was a typical 2006 Steeler game. Which means they were wildly inconsistent, as we have come to expect: big plays for, big plays against, dumb penalties, Cowher Statue, bad special teams, Joey Porter yapping, etc.

The defense actually played OK, with the exception of the 14 play, 87 yard, 8:26 drive that somehow stalled and resulted in a mere three points. Unfortunately, defending Braylon Edwards (7 catches, 137 yards) was not Ike Taylor's finest hour. Ike had to return to the field after the game to retrieve his jock strap, which Edwards faked out on that 63-yard catch in the second quarter.

The D also managed to hold The Solider in check, with two of his four catches coming in a last gasp on the Browns' final drive. For Joey Porter haters, and there are many (including in Pittsburgh), they had to love the way Winslow casually tossed Porter aside in the second half. My only question: after today's game, does Winslow give a hell?

Large Benjamin redeemed himself after an atrocious first half. When the announcers said, "The Steelers have yet to figure out this Cleveland defense", that became the first time those words were spoken in the history of the NFL. Ben finished with 272 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT, and a nice plant into the ground courtesy of Kamerion Wimbley. Was that the same guy who used to be on Fraggle Rock?

Seperated at birth...Wembley and Wimbley

The Steelers usually have a tough game when they run for less than 100 yards, and that held true again today. Of course, you usually need to give your top running back more than 16 carries to achieve that milestone, which did not happen today (although Willie proved last week he can surpass 100 with just two carries). But despite his lack of action, Parker was still a difference-maker, accounting for two of the Steelers' three touchdowns.

The other touchdown was scored by one San Antonio Holmes. As I watched the game with my brother, Ramon Mondesi, I commented that if not for his nightmarish punt returning experience, Holmes would be considered an above-average rookie contributor. As a returner he is a punchline, but as a receiver I think he's proven to be pretty tough so far. At this point in the season, I think he deserves to start over Cedrick Wilson, who has mastered the fine art of the mock flag-throw in lieu of a pass interference call. Nate Washington added two catches, but he dropped another one. He just can't help himself from giving his critics ammunition on a weekly basis.

And now we kick it to the special teams, who will probably give up a touchdown on the return. Sean Morey, the kick returner of the hour, pulled a 76-yarder out of his hat, which was a nice surprise. But with this unit, every upside has an equal (or worse) downside. The 92-yard kickoff return for a TD by Josh Cribbs after the Steelers pulled within three was catastrophic. Steelers special teams have become proficient in the momentum-killing play.

And what in the world has happened to Jeff Reed? Why has every kick for this guy become an event of "will he or won't he"? If he doesn't get that friendly bounce on the 43-yarder in the third quarter, his season percentage falls to 64.7%. This is an 80% career kicker. Is there a reason why this has been completely ignored by the masses?

Much like the Saints win, this isn't one that gets you too amped up for the stretch run. It was an ugly win that could've easily gone the other way. The Browns are one of a handful of teams capable of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory like they managed to do today.

If you're a Browns fan, I feel sorry for you. Not just for today's game, but in general, for following such a bad team all these years and having to live in Cleveland to boot. But seriously, how disheartening is it to lose like you did this afternoon? As much as the announcers tried to build him up, I was not blown away by Charlie Frye. His stats (17/27, 224 yards, 0 TDs or INTs) were acceptable, but he lost a fumble, couldn't finish that 8-minute drive, and what about that mess at the end of the first half? Picture it: the Browns are just inside Phil Dawson's range, and the braintrust of Frye and Crennel fail to get a play called in time. So the Browns take a 5-yard penalty and are forced to throw a pass that only Shaquille O'Neal would have a shot a pulling down. The pass falls incomplete and the Browns enter the half up 10 instead of 13. Those are the little things that keep bad teams down.

Next up for the black and gold is a matchup at the 8-2 Baltimorons on Sunday. How we've gone through 10 weeks of the season and not faced the Ravens is a fantastic question, but I fully expect a good game. If they can win a tough road matchup, it's back to Heinz Field for the Tampa Bay Gradkowskis in two weeks, with a shot at .500 on the line. The Steelers just refuse to let that little window still left in their season close. I give them credit, because they certainly could have mailed it in after that atrocity of a first half today.

So now I retreat to Phil Simms and Jim Nantz announcing Indy at Dallas for the second half of the CBS doubleheader. And from now on, I'm going to research the announcers for the Steeler games ahead of time. That way I can either put in some earplugs, turn down the set and turn up Hillgrove, or send Gus Johnson some Xanax before kickoff.

Power Rankings, Boise Sticks ESPN, Rodman's Midget Basketball Movie, KFed Dumped by Text

The Yankees had a case of extreme bad timing with their "Yankee Santa Claus flying a plane" Christmas ornament released days before the Cory Lidle tragedy. (Thanks to reader A.J. for the link)

While writing stories about Kevin Pittsnogle and Ike Taylor, I neglected to wrapup the Pens game. So I'll leave that duty to the Pensblog today.

Regulars know "bern1" from the Mondesi comments section. And he just started a blog, so you can read more of his musings at Joey Porter's Pit Bulls. Check out his "Deuce vs. Duce" preview of Sunday's matchup.

SI.com says the Pens are the 11th-best NHL team in their new Power Rankings.

Meanwhile, SI.com says the Steelers are the 22nd-best NFL team.

Bill Simmons sorts out the first week in the NBA. He fails to mention the impact of Cavs games airing on FSN Pittsburgh.

The Ike Taylor benching has resulted in the closure of the Facemeike.com store

Boise State sticks it to ESPN, like each of us dream to do every day.

How's this for a movie concept: Dennis Rodman coaching a midget basketball team, with Mini-Me as one of his players?

Chad Johnson quits the Bengals to pursue a solo career.

Stewart Mandel does a good job sticking up for the Big East. Personally, I've grown weary about hearing how the conference is so inferior.

Kevin Federline got dumped...by text message?

Finally, an awesome first look at the Hills Have Eyes 2. Anyone else out there ever see the original or the remake?

The $22.5 Million Backup

We all know about his background. Uncle Francois forcing him to work out until 2 AM as a teenager. Lining his backyard with baking flour to truly understand the dimensions of a football field. Chasing rabbits to increase his speed. Yes, Ike Taylor truly was the Cinderella story of the Pittsburgh Steelers. He worked his way from Louisiana-Lafayette to 4th round pick to starter for the Super Bowl champions. He signed a 5-year, $22.5 million contract before the season. And now he's backing up Bryant McFadden, while Deshea Townsend inexpicably remains in the starting lineup.

Yes, these are crazy times here in Steeler Land. It seems that our future Hall of Fame coach felt the need to shake up the roster. Instead of extracting Deshea "Swing and a Whiff on Javon Walker" Townsend from the starting cornerback position, Ike Taylor becomes the scapegoat for the demise of the 2006 Steelers season.

Cowher chose not to demote Townsend because Cowher is a big "dues" guy. Townsend played all those years as a nickelback and Mr. Bill is rewarding him for his loyalty, plain and simple. In his fourth year as a pro, Taylor is a virtual pup in the eyes of his coach when compared to the nine years of service that Townsend has clocked.

While Taylor certainly did not play well on Sunday against Denver, neither did most of the Steelers. Cowher wants to shuffle the deck, and someone who has struggled was going to take the fall, fair or unfair. And since he can't bench all 22 starters (unless you want to see Charlie Batch handing off to Najeh Davenport and throwing to Nate Washington), something like this was bound to happen. Frankly, I'm surprised Cowher has waited until the ninth game to make a change, and I'd be equally surprised if he stopped at one change.