Monday News and Notes

Catching up on a backlog of links, we've got info on another 1960 World Series party, what James Harrison hunted during the bye week, Lavar Arrington on Paterno, new Penguin lines for today's game, Mama's Family in Greensburg, a Pittsburgh-filled music video, and much more:

NEWS, NOTES, AND WEEK ONE THOUGHTS

First of all, I think the AFC should be declared wide open. The Patriots are left with a guy who hasn't started a game at QB since he was in high school in 1999. The Colts looked completely out of sync, Peyton Manning is riding the bike between posessions, and the team is starting a 2008 7th-round draft pick at center. Jacksonville, who's had a Bengal-esque run of late off the field, looked lethargic in their loss to Tennessee. San Diego stole defeat from the jaws of victory in a home loss to Carolina, who was playing without the teammate-beating Steve Smith. The rest of the AFC North looked atrocious. And all of a sudden, that once-feared Steelers schedule doesn't look quite as intimidating.

AFC teams on the upswing? Well, all of a sudden, the Jets have the best QB in the AFC North. Buffalo laid quite a smackdown on Seattle. And Tennessee might be a better team without Vince Young than with him. But as the sun rises on the first Monday morning after, keeping in mind just how early it is, I like our chances.

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A few emails...

--Mondesi's House Pens specialist Koz is looking for fantasy hockey managers:

"It's "head to head style" fantasy hockey on Yahoo, and we aren't playing for money but are looking for competitive managers. Have them email me (koz81@comcast.net) if they are interested."

--Passing this email along from Chris at Penn State. Can anyone shed some light?

"So, I was really surprised to see none other than Michel Therrien walking the sidelines at yesterday's Nittany Lions game. The rumor flying around the student section was that he was checking out the stadium for that Penguins-Flyers outdoor game we heard so much about last year. I was wondering if you had any scoop on why he was there."

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And the links...

--THE PIRATES MAKE HISTORY! That's 16 straight losing seasons in a row, tying the 1933-48 Philadelphia Phillies for the longest run of futility in professional sports history. It's been quite the fun ride. [Trib]

--Paul Zeise: The Pitt offense still needs to improve. Here, here. [PG]

--Lavar Arrington wishes a plague upon The Sports Cafe and Grille. Looks like he's staying busy in his retirement years. [Daily Collegian Online]

--ESPN's Steve Braband called the Brady injury... [Steve is Alive]

--...and Steely McGnome picked the score of the Steeler-Texan game...exactly. [Dug E. Fresh Rants]

--Did Vince Young quit on the Titans? Let's just say there's whispers... [Deadspin]

--Pitt's Scott McKillop was named Big East Defensive Player of the Week. 15 tackles, 2 hurries, and a pass breakup will do that. [Trib]

--Barry Sanders finally coming back to the Lions? Hopefully Tatum Bell won't steal his bags. [Sports Pickle]

--Pitt-Iowa is a noon kickoff on Saturday. [Pitt Blather]

--Yet another blogger takes Bob Smizik to task. [Hockey, Football & Stiletto Shoes]

--Your 2008-09 Penguin GameDay inspirations are revealed. [The PensBlog]

--Someone want to inform Patrick Ewing that it's probably not a good idea to wear shorts to your Hall of Fame induction? [Epic Carnival]

--My W&J Presidents are 1-0 after a 49-35 win at Oberlin. I expect many emails from washjeff.edu email addresses as a result of this mention. [Washjeff.edu]

--Which NFL team has the drunkest fans? According to this list, not the Steelers. [Latest Word]

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A few interesting college football lists from ESPN.com:

The 10 biggest BCS bullies

The 11 most dangerous non-BCS teams

The 10 gutsiest BCS teams

Upsets: The 10 biggest surprise wins of the BCS era (spoiler: Pitt made this one)

And a few fun links to close out the morning:

A Russian religious group is pushing for a South Park ban. [Wired]

5 Real World Criminals Who Were Certified Super-Villains [Cracked]

The 8 Best One-Punch Knockouts in Movie History [OMG Lists]

10 habits that bosses love and Warning signs it's time to quit [Yahoo!]

Got news? Email it to mondesishouse@gmail.com and get automatically entered in a drawing to win a copy of KC Joyner's new book, Blindsided.

The News

A recap of your favorite links, named in honor of Mike Tomlin

"I'm not telling a story. I'm reporting the news."

If you're bulimic, today's your lucky day. This SI cover featuring Oliver Perez should help you lose your lunch.

--Tuesday's news: Pacman Jones entourage member involved in shooting ... another Bengal arrest ... the sky still blue

--Can you hear it? The whispers that Arena football could be coming back to Pittsburgh? Dust off those Gladiators pennants!

--North Hills' own Lavar Arrington joins Ben Roethlisberger and Kellen Winslow on the NFL's Motorcycle Trauma Team. Wait...Lavar Arrington is still in the NFL?

--June 29 is a big day at the Pro Football Hall of Fame: they will unveil a 2,500 square-foot exhibit devoted to the 75th Anniversary of the national treasure known as the Pittsburgh Steelers.

--A recent Steeler Fantasy Camp member had a prosthetic leg. Yep, you guessed it: the prosthetic had a Steeler logo on it.

--One day after Father's Day, Elin Woods gives birth to a Tiger cub.

--A combination link/anecdote I think you'll enjoy from Mark A.:

My high school Alma Mater Seneca Valley won the PIAA state title over the weekend. It was a pretty exciting game. Souderton actually had the bases loaded with one out in the bottom of the 8th and SV got out of the jam. The part that I thought you might be really interested in...the starting 3rd baseman for Seneca Valley.....Tyler Bream.

Yes, Tyler Bream, son of Sid Bream. Maybe Tyler will be the one to reverse the curse.

--It's over, Kelly Clarkson.

--Meanwhile, Britney insists it's not over, as she's asking her "fans" to name her new album.

--A great song/video taking on the time-tested rumor of Chinese restaurants serving cat, to the tune of "Cat's in the Cradle".

--Deadspin's Will Leitch sits down with longtime obsession and former ESPN employee Harold Reynolds.

--Any 2-year-olds out there looking to score a margarita should try an Applebee's in California. As they proved last week, they will serve you.

--Here's an in-person recap of one man's Oakmont experience.

--Mmmmm...Cucumber Pepsi!

--A guy with a lot of time on his hands and nothing better to do sat in all 5,200 seats of the York Revolution's Sovereign Bank Stadium.

--Check out the new site Doubt About It and their take on the Pirates' We Will campaign. Good stuff!

--Here's a very cool "Steeler Nation" video from NFL films. This stuff never gets old to me. Don't miss the part where Bret Michaels plays his custom Steeler guitar.
Steeler Nation

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