THE NEWS

--Nate McLouth-Pujols hit a three-run home run in the 9th inning, leading the Buccos to a 6-4 win at Dodger Stadium.

--Stay away from Adam LaRoche...he's got the flu.

--Pitt is a #1 seed in next year's NCAA Tournament, according to Joe Lunardi's totally useless projections. In fact, they're playing the winner of the play-in game, making them the #1 overall seed.

--Ron Cook has much love for MAF. Don't we all?

--Proving that Penn State is not the only school with a few troubled athletes, safety Sherod Murdock has been suspended indefinitely from the Pitt football team for disciplinary reasons, and offensive tackle Jason Pinkston was involved in an on-campus altercation over the weekend.

--6-foot-5, 229 pound WR Mario Urrutia visited the Steelers on Monday, bringing the total of players who've visited the team to approximately 5,041.

--The Pittsburgh Passion open their 2008 season on Saturday at Central Pennsylvania.

--Is this the worst Patriot tattoo ever?

--Did a meteorite make mincemeat of North Side abodes?

--John McCain was kickin' it at CMU.

--Trying to keep up with the Spears family, Ashlee Simpson is now with child.

--Brady Quinn buddy Bret Michaels was the subject of this stripper fight.

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Mondesi Interview: Brian Powell of Awfulannouncing.com

We're right in the middle of March Madness, which means we'll be watching a lot of CBS (and after the games, ESPN) in the near future. With this in mind, I figured that we needed a little guide for watching the tournament. So who better to talk to than the #1 authority on all things TV sports, Awful Announcing's Brian Powell?

Brian started his website in 2006, and in that short amount of time it's risen all the way to #3 on the Ballhype charts. Yes, Awful Announcing has indeed struck a nerve with the TV-watching, blog-reading sports fan. AA has enough embedded video clips and screenshots to make your head spin, and as Brian will point out, there's always plenty of Erin Andrews references, for those of you into that. It's a highly enjoyable website.

Brian is a qualified professor in this topic, so sit back, listen (or should I say "scroll") and enjoy:

I see that we'll be getting the team of Gus Johnson and Len Elmore for Pitt's Denver region. The equation of Gus Johnson + high altitude = what?

Hopefully a few upsets and at least one buzzer beater. Gus seems to have the golden voice when it comes to calling epic Tourney games. Let's just hope for your reader's sake that one of those isn't Oral Roberts.

Bob Knight picked the Panthers to win the whole thing. Is that a wise choice from a coaching legend, or the ramblings of a crazy person?

I don't think it's necessarily a bad omen, but I had one rule when picking teams coached by Bob Knight. Never pick them past the second round. He's a great coach but later in his years his defensive minded teams just couldn't keep up with the game's new style of play. This Pittsburgh team reminds me of those old Hoosier teams that get it done on the boards and down low and that will either get them very far or not far at all.

Let's do some free association with college basketball talking heads. What's the first thing that comes to mind when someone mentions...

Dick Vitale: Should be in the Hall of Fame as an ambassador to the game

Bob Knight: Plotting to kill Digger Phelps

Billy Packer: Old Curmudgeon

Gus Johnson: The People's Champ

Erin Andrews: Over hyped (I'm one of those to blame for this)

Bill Raftery: ONIONS!

Verne Lundquist: Lovable but past his prime

Jay Bilas: Growing on me

Joe Lunardi: Lucky (Making a career out of Bracketology blows my mind, but I have a website about Announcers)

A rare look at a bracketologist off the clock

Which personalities are you least looking forward to watching/listening to during the tournament?

Gus Johnson, Len Elmore (I need to give him another chance after the JB debacle last year), Jay Bilas, Seth Davis, and newbie Carter Blackburn.

How much time will you spend watching NIT games?

Well I spent one night watching my Terps win in Minnesota and I think that'll be about it. I'm actually more interested in the matchups in the CBI this year. I realize that most of your time is spent watching sports.

Any favorite non-sports programs you take a break to watch?

It pains me to admit this but I love trashy MTV programming. I have to shut my mind off from Sports from time to time and there's no better way. So here's the list of things I check out: The Hills, The Gauntlet, Rob and Big, Lost, 30 Rock, The Wire, Numbers, The Office, and anything on Adult Swim

Finally, the questions we're dying to know: who's going to win it all, and what do you foresee for Pitt?

I have Pitt getting knocked out by Memphis but that game could go either way. I just think Memphis' guard play will win out over the inconsistent Ramon. Fields will be everything to Pitt in that game and the Tournament and if they win that game look out. Any team in the bottom half is going to be in trouble.

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BRIAN POWELL at THE SPORTING NEWS

Jim Colony's Extra Point

As part of the sweeping changes in store for Mondesi's House this year, I'm happy to announce a new feature: Jim Colony's Extra Points. As you know, Jim is the drive-time sports announcer for ESPN Radio 1250 in Pittsburgh. And he's such a nice guy that he's agreed to share the transcripts of his Extra Point segments, which you can hear regularly on 1250. So whenever possible (or whenever Jim feels like sending them), we'll be able to share in the wisdom of a man that spars with Mark Madden on a daily basis. Enjoy!

JIM COLONY'S EXTRA POINT

This isn't an actual "Extra Point", since the already recorded Friday one was about Bob Knight being the latest guy who used to hate the media to join the media (see Parcells, B. and Sharpe, S.- Sterling, not Shannon). And Knight is really good, as you knew he would be. It's impossible to not stop and listen to him because Knight is one of the - if not the - most compelling sports figures of our time.

But as a basketball afficionado who is consistently frustrated by Pitt (annually the worst "really good" team in America), I come before you now to not bury the Panthers, but to praise them. That was a huge win against Louisville.

While Pitt's familiar 5th and 6th grade-level problems persisted early on - inability to beat the press by failing to keep a guy behind the ball and missing free throws - they made up for it by finally playing some defense. The swarming double-teams in the post clearly disrupted Louisville's offense and was the kind of defense that has landed the Panthers in the Big East Championship Game more often than not in recent years.

There is a school of thought that making a run to that conference title game can be counterproductive come NCAA time...and that may have been true when Pitt was an obvious top-4 seed. But with the Panthers projected as an 8-seed by ESPN's Joe Lunardi (even though he had them as a 7 before they beat DePaul), it's important to get away from that 8-9 line, since I think somehow they'd draw North Carolina.

Pitt has been slighted in the past, but even before the two Big East Tournament wins, the Panthers were 24th in the RPI...which by the book translates to a 6-seed (but Pitt fans know how that goes). Since they just beat Louisville (projected as a 3 across the board), that has to help. Plus, not to sound like Jamie Dixon, but Pitt has now won 5 of 6 (and they also know all about Edgar Sosa because they recruited him).

One more win secures a 7-seed and probably a 6, which is where the Duke and Georgetown wins could come in handy, but as we've seen, you never know. Then again, it may not matter that much. Among the top 1-2 seeds, whom do you fear?

Pitt can't play UCLA in the second round (since the Panthers played them last year) and they can't play Georgetown or Duke (which is probably too bad)...which leaves North Carolina, Memphis, Tennessee, Kansas, and Texas.

I don't like the Panthers chances against Carolina or Texas...but anyone else? All of a sudden, they could be back.

I'M JIM COLONY … LISTEN TO MY SPORTSCENTERS FROM 3-7 … ON PITTSBURGH'S ESPN RADIO 1250.

The News

--TE Andrew Quarless is the sixth Penn State football player to be suspended this offseason, joining DTs Chris Baker and Phil Taylor, LB Navorro Bowman, DB Knowledge Timmons, and WR Chris Bell. This wouldn't be happening if Bill Cowher was in charge.

--King Pryor's Jeannette Jayhawks won their second-round PIAA playoff game against Girard, 67-35. Your royal highness led Jeannette with 16 points.

--Bracketologist Joe Lunardi says Pitt is a shoo-in for the tournament. He has to be right. He's got a degree in it, for crying out loud.

--Marian Hossa "really hopes" to play on Sunday against the Capitals.

--Anyone care what Lloyd McClendon thinks about the Pirates these days?

--The Buccos are placing a ticket limit of eight per person for the home series against the Yankees. Don't forget to wear your Wang hat.

--In addition to Dolphins OL Rex Hadnot, LB/special teamer Tracy White of the Packers stopped in for a visit with the Steelers, and both left without contracts.

--Mt. Lebanon's Josh Wilson looks like he's enjoying Pirates training camp waaay too much.

--The Duquesne Dukes fell to Temple, 90-85. That's five Ls in a row for the Fighting Everharts.

--Former Phoenix Sun Kevin Johnson is running for Mayor of Sacramento.

--Patrick Swayze has quite an uphill battle with cancer on his hands.

--To close, some big news courtesy of SOJ: there's a nightclub in Johnstown again.

BREAKING NEWS: Pitt a #2 Seed

Good news for all you Panther fans...Pitt is a #2 seed in the West and will play Delaware State in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Pitt will travel to Buffalo and will likely face the Tennessee/Indiana winner in round two. Of course, this is all based on Joe Lunardi's Bracketology projections, which hold a lot of weight after one week of basketball. What that, you say? It's pointless to do something like Bracketology already? I'm sure Joe Lunardi doesn't think it's dumb when he's cashing all those checks from the Worldwide Leader.

By the way, you may notice a lack of material today. In addition to a heavier-than-usual workload due to the busy holiday season (despite the Steelers' shortcomings), there was a little mini-flood-disaster at "Father of Mondesi's" house today. So being a good son, I'm putting everything on hold to help out in the cleanup effort. The fairly obvious observations on sports and pop culture you've come to put up with from this site will be posted later on today. Until then, digest the 1,900 links I posted yesterday and the gigantic ad for my business that I'm sure everyone enjoyed. If the mood strikes you to buy a signed Evgeni Malkin picture, rest assured that your business is appreciated. I shall return.