"James Harrison was bull rushing ... I'm not sure I knocked him into [Roethlisberger] or what happened behind me. I was busy trying to block the defensive MVP," Starks said. "He got tripped up and fell down."The good news is that by all accounts, Roethlisberger appears to be OK, other than the fact that he told team president Art Rooney that his right ankle felt like "a car ran over it". Nonetheless, Roethlisberger may sit out Saturday's game with Washington anyway. You may now exhale.
On Wednesday, the matchup is Carl Pavano (that Carl Pavano?) (5.73, 6-5) against Zach Duke (3.18. 7-5). Good tickets still available.
Play was about as intense as you could expect for a bunch of pro athletes that don't want to get hurt and a random collection of teachers with a few ringers sprinkled in. Offensively, the Steelers were certainly liberal with the three-point attempts. Was this a strategy devised by Bruce Arians?
We make it to halftime, and you know what that means: free autographs, the two favorite words in the American vocabulary. Lines formed quickly, although Santonio would probably still be signing without the aid of a clock that limited the duration of the signing session.
For as chaotic as such an opportunity could be, it was actually a well-controlled halftime. Nearly every kid who wanted an autograph got one, with the exception of a few who were shut out on Santonio. But make no doubt about it, the young people in attendance were thrilled with their brushes with greatness.
We entered the final minute of play, and the game is neck-and-neck. At this point, I pulled out the old Blackberry and tried to capture some video (albeit grainy) of the last few seconds. If I can set up this clip: tie game, crowd is going absolutely bonkers. To imply that this had any more importance than it actually had would be ridiculous, but from the atmosphere, you would think it was the last 30 seconds of a Final Four game.
I'm sure Steeler fans will remember the name Chukky Okobi. After a college career snapping the ball to Drew Brees at Purdue, Okobi was a fifth-round pick in 2001 by the Black and Gold. Between 2002-2006, Okobi appeared in all but four games for the Steelers, starting seven times in place of Jeff Hartings. Many thought he would be Hartings' eventual successor, but the coaching change from Bill Cowher to Mike Tomlin would end up simultaneously ending the Okobi Era in Pittsburgh. He would be released by the Steelers on September 1, 2007, to be picked up by Ken Whisehunt and the Arizona Cardinals shortly thereafter. He was released by the Cardinals on October 30, 2007, just a short while after the Steelers played his new team. Curious, indeed.
Rarely do you see a combination of NFL size and entrepreneurial spirit, but Okobi certainly seems serious about his post-football career, which many former players, sadly, are not. In fact, 78% of former NFL players are bankrupt or under financial stress within two years of retirement. If things go right for Okobi, maybe he can find another career: preaching to young NFL players about planning for life after football.
If any other team wanted to sign Starks, it would cost them two first-round picks, plus the Steelers would have seven days to match any offers. In other words, he's not going anywhere.
Steelers tag Starks for Second Time [John Clayton/ESPN]
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"Here's a shot of my buddy Brett putting the hex on the Cards shiny new toy, the NFC Championship trophy. He works in Phoenix and they brought the trophy around to his office buildings lobby for Cards fans to see it. He did us all proud as evidenced by this photo" - Rich P. from Great Balls of Fire
"Guess I never thought it was so special, but I ran the 2007 Marine Corps Marathon in Washington DC with a Terrible Towel. I had it thought the whole race, and there were Steeler fans (everywhere!) cheering when they saw it." -- Tim S., Venetia
"The company that I work for recently decided to show what “BIG” Steeler fans the company is. The banner is 60’w X 10’h. If anyone wants to take a look, the sign is located on RT 51 right by the ridge road exit in Jefferson Hills." -- Steve B.
Sent from Kevin K.
It's a sad day for the thousands of Yinzers who invested in a Sean Mahan Steelers jersey to wear on Sundays, because they just became outdated. Mahan, who came over from Tampa Bay via free agency last season, was just traded back to the Bucs for an undisclosed 2009 draft pick. Somehow, I doubt it's a first-rounder.
And thus ends the Steeler career of Mahan, which goes down as their 2007 Horrible Offensive Line Signing, a 5-year deal worth $17 million (with a $4 million signing bonus). In case you're wondering, the 2008 award has already been bestowed upon the nearly $7 million guaranteed contract to backup tackle Max Starks.
In other news concering disappointing Steelers, WR Willie Reid was signed to the Philadelphia Eagles' practice squad. Yawn.
Steelers trade Mahan to Bucs [Trib]
--Tim Worley was the last Steeler running back chosen in the first round, some 19 years ago. He started a grand total of 22 games in three seasons and has gone down as one of the biggest Steeler draft busts of all time. And guess what else? He just got tasered (with video). 
--Dan Rooney's endorsement of Barack Obama has been well-chronicled. And a few more members of the Steeler family, including Franco Harris, Dwight White, Robin Cole, and Edmund Nelson were out at the "Steeler Vote For Change Blitz", in a number of local counties.
A lot of people give the Steelers grief, saying that they don't do enough for the community. While I've always disagreed with that line of thinking anyway, I had an up-close-and-personal experience last night, as I was literally sitting in the first row at midcourt. Sure, I paid $500 for the tickets from a scalper, but it was well worth it (actually, the tickets were a very reasonable $7, with all proceeds going towards the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life; I kid, I kid).
I've never attended a Steeler basketball game, so let me try and give you a feel of exactly what the experience is like (by the way, you can click on the image for a larger view):
The barbecue sauce featured was...BIG BEN'S (what, you were expecting Open Pit?)
Referees included Monessen High legend Jeff Gagatko (left) and Mark Mizerak (right). They officiated the game as if it were Game 7 of the NBA Finals, much to Najeh Davenport's dismay. Believe it or not, Davenport was actually called for a lane violation on a free throw.
Monessen sported quite the deep roster, which included former Philadelphia Eagle Jamie Reader.
The Steelers didn't do much warming up beyond the predictable stretches. That's Arnold Harrison on the left, showing his flexibility. By the way, they chose Jay-Z's Bring Em Out as their entrance song, if any of you care.
It's point guard Anthony Madison, who will never be confused with Steve Nash after he literally dropped the ball and accidentally kicked it out of bounds on two early posessions.
The Steelers brought six guys: RB Najeh Davenport, OL Max Starks, LB Arnold Harrison, CB Anthony Madison, and practice-squadders TE Jon Dekker (88) and WR Gerran Walker (21). Rumors of a Roethlisberger appearance turned out to be just that, although Large Ben did send an autographed football used as a raffle prize.
Harrison steps to the line for two of his 18 points. How do I know he had 18 points? Because my dad kept a running total of the points scored at a Steeler charity game. What can I say? Nerdiness just runs in the family.
We're at halftime, and the Steelers are cruising, 48-24. Autograph tables are set up around the gym for kids (and a few adults) to collect free autographs.
Ever wonder what a guy who gets tendered for $7 million looks like up close? Bigger than you could ever imagine.
I've never heard of Dekker before, but he was pretty quick on the floor and finished with 14 points. He has a definite love affair with the three-pointer. Unfortunately, he's behind the two-headed monster of Heath Miller and Matt Spaeth, so I don't expect to see much of him on the footbal field anytime soon. And to answer your next question, no, I don't know what that kid's going to do with a hat signed on the underside of the bill. 
The autograph line for Davenport and Harrison, or as I call it, "controlled chaos".
"Yes, I will sign your back."
"Yes, I will also sign your back."
Davenport (right) was surprisingly charismatic and the definitive fan favorite by game's end. Harrison also had a great attitude, if I do say so myself. When you're going against 6'8", 337-pound Starks, there's bound to be a few size mismatches, as illustrated above.
A close-up of Dekker about 5 inches from my seat. His elbow nearly hit my head on the inbounds.
Back to the game: Monessen wins the third quarter by a 20-15 count and goes into the fourth down 63-44. It's going to take a miracle, but it helps when you have guys who run faster than the speed of light.
In-between periods, the black and gold provided a nice photo op for some young Steeler fans.
And we've got a game! 77-71 with just 23 seconds to go! 
The rally was kicked off when Monessen brought in secret weapon/prep star Josh Arnold (right), who I later found out might be a West Virginia Mountaineer in the near future. Arnold had four dunks down the stretch and looked every bit as smooth as his 32.8 PPG average would indicate.
So as soon as Harrison found out that my dad was keeping score, he was constantly asking for updates on how many he had. While he didn't reach his goal of 20, his 18 were a game-high. 
In true Steeler fashion, Najeh held the ball four the last few seconds, clinching a Steeler victory, 77-73. The totals: Harrison (18), Dekker (14), Starks (14), Walker (12), Madison (11) and Davenport (8). Luckily, I drafted Harrison in my Fantasy Steeler Charity Basketball League last week.