The Hot Button

After a relaxing holiday, it’s time to stir up some passion with another edition of The Hot Button, the new feature that marries interactive polls and opinions, with some national topics mixed in.

Among the subjects up for debate and voting: Pittsburgh athlete popularity, how the Pens should be built, Amar’e Stoudemire's $100 million contract, the Summer of LeBron, and baseball’s Midsummer Classic. The message, as always, it delivered on the t-shirt of the trust-fund-powered female depicted below: Vote or die!

The Hot Button [93.7 The Fan]

Introducing "The Hot Button"

I'm pleased to announce that effective immediately, I'm writing a second weekly feature for 93.7 The Fan, and the debut installment is available right here. It's called "The Hot Button", and it's basically a pumped-up version of our weekly Paris Hilton-hosted polls, but with more of my opinions and takes on topics beyond Pittsburgh sports.

In our first run, I take a look at several controversial topics in the sports world, including an extended look at the courtship of LeBron James, Carlos Zambrano's well-publicized  and controversial dinner with Ozzie Guillen, the NFL going to an 18-game schedule, Stephen Strasburg's All-Star credentials, and how the loss of Willie Colon might affect the Steelers in 2010. 

Much like in the MH version, you can vote in online polls, and as always, you can also tell me how wrong I am in the comments section.

The Hot Button [93.7 The Fan]

LEBRON BRINGS SWINE FLU, SHAQ TO PITTSBURGH

If you're a germophobe, you'll probably be skipping tonight's Cleveland-Dallas exhibition game at the Pete, which features a swine-flu-infected Lebron James, Steeler fan Shaquille O'Neal, and attention fan Mark Cuban, among others. In addition to appearing at tonight's game, Cuban will also be speaking at Pitt at 3:30 today; maybe someone will bring up the topic of his recent Twitter war with Peter King, which delighted many.

As for tonight's game, it's the next-to-last tuneup in the preseason for the Cavs, who wrap things up tomorrow night against Boston at Columbus, Ohio's Schottenstein Center. 3-3 Cleveland just lost to the 4-1 Mavs on Saturday night, while resting James, O'Neal, and Mo Williams. Which means tonight's games qualifies as a preseason grudge match, if such a thing exists (this just in: it doesn't). Nonetheless, I'm sure there will be a playoff-like atmosphere in the air.

James, who took a whole two days to recover from the epidemic that is sweeping the nation, played 19 minutes against Dejuan Blair and San Antonio on Friday night, scoring 22 points. It sounds to me like he read the tremendous article on the myth of swine flu from Maddox and has no fear for it. Maybe he's just the man to sneeze in Maddox's face. Or he can sneeze in your face if you get the right seat. Tipoff is at 7:30.

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NEWS AND NOTES

A few things to quickly slip in...

--Hey, does that trophy have a ticket? [Empty Netters]

-Dave Dameshek, your friend and mine, will be doing a two-hour guest spot on ESPN 1250 tonight from 6-8 PM. City of Champions II and Benedict Cowher will be among the topics.

--In other 1250 news, they've parted ways with longtime personality Jim Colony, who's been a very good friend of the site over the years. I wish him all the best. [PG]

--Steelers #1 in ESPN's Power Rankings. Pens could be #1 in NHL. Pitt was #1 for a while in basketball. And the Pirates are going to have an historic season too! [ESPN]

--And to top it off, a kid from Bethel Park might win the National Spelling Bee! [WTAE]

--James Harrison wants his dog Patron to live. Hopefully they can find a willing home. [Shutdown Corner]

--Big Ben is up for "Most Unstoppable Jock" in the Spike TV Guys Choice Awards. His opponent? Lebron James, who currently finds himself in a 3-1 hole. [Spike TV]

--A drug dealer said that he sold steroids to members of the Washington Nationals, and of greater interest, the Washington Capitals. All together now..."I guess they didn't take enough!" [Puck Daddy]

--This just in: Matt Wieters makes his MLB debut on Friday. Not making his MLB debut on Friday: Daniel Moskos. [Baltimore Sun]

DON'T FORGET TO SEND OVER YOUR PICS, EMAILS, THOUGHTS, LINKS, VIDEOS, ETC., ETC., FOR THIS WEEK'S EDITION OF THE NEWS! WHO BUMPED MY CAPS LOCK?

Email: Mondesishouse@gmail.com Twitter: twitter.com/mondesishouse Facebook: Facebook Group

'BRING ON U-CONN"

In case you missed it, Pitt turned in another dominating performance in an 85-69 win over the Cincinnati Bearcats yesterday, which means (as the crowd reminded us) that top-ranked UConn is next on the schedule. It couldn't happen at a better time, because Pitt is playing their best basketball and sitting at 22-2.

Levance Fields continued his unreal play with 13 assists and no turnovers, as he continues to lead the nation in assist:turnover ratio. Fields has 56 assists and just six turnovers over the past five games. To boot, Pitt shot 67.4% from the floor, a number that tied a school record set in a 2006 tournament game against Kent State.

But the highlight of highlights was when Sam Young threw down the windmill jam shown above, which can also be seen in the video below. Ironically, it happened on the same night as the NBA dunk contest. Maybe Young will end up in the contest opposite Lebron, who pledged to participate, next year?

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

NEWS AND NOTES

--Leave March 27, 2009 open. Why? Because Britney is coming to Pittsburgh, that's why. [MTV]

--Sid is closing in on the three Montreal Canadiens forwards leading in the crooked NHL All-Star fan vote. Actually, that will be nice seeing him playing alongside five Canadiens. It'll be a giant tease for the city of Montreal. [CP]

--Once again, we're reminded: unlike Lebron, Sid's not going anywhere. [Detroit Free Press]

--The Penguins' brand ranks eighth in pro sports, and the second-highest in the NHL. The Steelers came in at third, behind only the Packers and Red Sox. And Pittsburgh once again lifts its leg on the sports world. [PittsburghPenguins.com]

--Breaking news: professional pain-in-the-rectum/fashion maven Sean Avery has been suspended indefinitely by the NHL due to comments regarding former girlfriends Elisha Cuthbert and Rachel Hunter. Good times. [ESPN]

--The Altoona Curve have a new owner. No, it's not Stanley Druckenmiller. Or Mark Cuban. [Centre Daily]

--Who's up for some Pittsburgh sports trivia? Me, me! [Sean's Ramblings]

--Derek Anderson or Brady Quinn? It doesn't really matter, because they're both out for the year. And with the Browns needing a QB, who better to call than Pittsburgh's own Bruce Gradkowski? [ESPN]

--Ford CEO Alan Mulally said he'll work for $1 if the US government ponies up with that cash they desire so. Of course, he's making $18 million this year, so I think he'll get by OK. [Yahoo!]

--More pics from the Wolverine movie, this time featuring Hugh Jackman and Liev Schreiber. Exciting stuff indeed. [FilmDrunk]

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

Hmmmm...

Yeah, I'm starting to believe the rumblings that Lebron and Gisele's Vogue cover might have a bit in common with this 1917 U.S. Army poster.

Side By Side, It Sure Looks Bad [The Big Lead]

Today's Best Submitted Pictures

--When was the last time a week six regular season game was given a name? "Duel in Dallas"? Is this really necessary?

--WebMD shows us exactly what the Yankees' symptoms were this year:

(thanks AJ)

--Who knew the Browns employed Hulk Hogan as a one-bar-facemask-wearing punter? Well, check that. The Browns cut him on Monday.

(thanks Zach)

--Lebron James, always loyal to his hometown team...

(thanks Joe in Ohio)

You can always send your photos (real and photoshopped) to mondesishouse@gmail.com

The News coming soon...

Cleveland Still Sucks

Anyone else catch Lebron "Yankee Fan" James wearing his favorite team's hat at an Indians-Yankees playoff game last night? Well, reader Paul caught it, and immediately seized the opportunity to once again tell us that despite their recent playoff appearances in baseball and basketball, Cleveland still sucks.

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.