"Dana Holgorsen will not be the next head coach of Pitt"

"Interesting developments in the carousel of coaching.......According to a very good source - and believe me, sources are always very sketchy but this one has never steered me wrong - Dana Holgorsen will not be the next head coach of Pitt." -- Paul Zeise of the PG

Well that's just fantastic.

So what happened? He didn't like Pitt? Pitt didn't like him? He didn't like the city of Pittsburgh? Another school? Another school. And not just any school. West Virginia University.

Sources confirmed today that a high-ranking official from West Virginia’s athletic department has been in contact with Oklahoma State offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen about the head coaching position at West Virginia, even as there is no vacancy.

That job would only come open if West Virginia athletic director Oliver Luck fired Mountaineers coach Bill Stewart either before, or after, West Virginia plays in the Champs Sports Bowl on Dec. 28 against North Carolina State. Luck declined to comment. -- Colin Dunlap, PG

So it looks like we're right in the middle of a new kind of Backyard Brawl, one that centers around a bidding war for a highly-regarded Steven Wright lookalike. 

WVU has allegedly offered Holgorsen an Offensive Coordinator/Head Coach-in-Waiting deal, which is a not-so-subtle hint that they're not entirely pleased with Bill Stewart, who was "vehemently against" such a plan. You mean he doesn't want to mentor the higher-paid guy who he's never worked with before that's taking his job? I'm shocked.

Here's an idea: maybe WVU could fire Stewart, pretend like he willingly resigned, hold an incredibly brief and awkward press conference, and then start their own coaching search instead of stealing Pitt's thunder (as well as their leading candidate)?

Mondesi's House: The Director's Cut (more links, commentary, etc): twitter.com/mondesishouse
Email: mondesishouse@gmail.com

Which Pittsburgh Team Excites You the Most?

As usual, it's a fantastic time to be a Pittsburgh sports fan. The Steelers are in first place, the Penguins are in first place, Pitt is #3 in the country in hoops, and the Pirates aren't distracting us from any of it with their hot stove moves. But which team has you the most amped going forward? Some cases are made after the jump.

Best of the Web: The Top 20 Links of the Week

Another week, another 20 links for Best of the Web over at The Fan website. This week's edition is very Pitt-heavy, with loads of links on all things Wannstedtian. We've also got Pirate hot stove rumors, a Steeler-Raven allegation, comparing Crosby and Ovechkin in 2010, The Legend of Shaun Suisham, and much, much more. Try, just try, to contain your excitement. It's never easy with this much Wanny.

Best of the Web [93.7 The Fan at CBS Pittsburgh]

Mondesi's House: The Director's Cut (more links, commentary, etc): twitter.com/mondesishouse
Email: mondesishouse@gmail.com

Jon Baldwin in Full Backtrack/Damage Control Mode

"Yesterday, I received a text message from a reporter at a time when I was very emotional. Because of everything that happened, I wasn't using the best judgment and am very sorry about the things that were printed. I love my teammates and coaches at Pitt. I have not made a final decision on the NFL Draft. My only focus is on my commitment to my team and preparing to win our bowl game next month." - Pitt WR Jon Baldwin, in a statement released today

"He was just misquoted, that's all, he was misquoted. He still has a bowl game to play, he still has a few weeks of practice and he hasn't decided what he is going to do. No decision has been made." -- Jeff Baldwin, father of Jonathan, on Jonathan's draft statement

Source: Paul Zeise/PG

Mondesi's House: The Director's Cut (more links, commentary, etc): twitter.com/mondesishouse
Email: mondesishouse@gmail.com

Jon Baldwin Declares for NFL Draft, Rips Pitt

To the surprise of almost no one, Pitt WR Jon Baldwin is moving on to the NFL. To the surprise of some, Baldwin had some colorful comments to NFLDraftScout.com on the way out the door:

At first, it sounded as if Baldwin was non-committal on his future, but when asked, “Why would you stay [for your senior season] when you have no chemistry with QB Tino Sunseri, a new coach/system taking over next season and possibly hurt your draft stock for the 2012 draft, Baldwin clarified, “Oh, I misunderstood you … Heck yeah I’m leaving. It can only get worse. They had me running a lot of deep routes [this year] and yards were hard to come by. I barely ran intermediate routes; it felt like they were purposely trying to disrupt my draft stock.”

Baldwin can blame Wannstedt, Cignetti, or Sunseri all he wants, but he had more to do with his  own draft stock falling than anyone. Baldwin's a talented kid, but he was clearly dogging it at times, and like many Panthers, left a lot to be desired with his season as a whole. Regardless of his uneven effort, he's a big target with speed, so don't bet on him falling too far in the draft - parting shots to his school aside. He'll make a fine diva wide receiver at the next level.

Mondesi's House: The Director's Cut (more links, commentary, etc): twitter.com/mondesishouse
Email: mondesishouse@gmail.com

With Wannstedt Fired, Who's Next to Coach Pitt?

As per the PG, Dave Wannstedt has been shown the door at his alma mater, and despite his likability as a person, I think it's the right move for the university. Six years is a honeymoon that wouldn't have been afforded at many other schools, and expectations were too high this season for this team to fall so flat, especially so many times on national television.

But the question at a time like this: Who do you hire next? A few names after the jump:

Best of the Web: The Top 20 Links of the Week

I've got links here...lots and lots of links! Because it's Thursday, and that means Best of the Web time over at The Fan.

We've got links on James Harrison and Santa, the Pitt football collapse, Pirate free agency news, lots of great quotes on the Steeler/NFL hysteria, Lebron's return to our beloved Cleveland, and so much more that I can't cram it into just one sentence. Just take my word for it. Cramming is never a good idea.

Best of the Web [93.7 The Fan at CBS Pittsburgh]

Mondesi's House: The Director's Cut (more links, commentary, etc): twitter.com/mondesishouse
Email: mondesishouse@gmail.com

Pitt = The College Equivalent of the San Francisco 49ers

Due to a mini family emergency last weekend, I was unable to watch the Backyard Brawl live and subsequently unable to provide any semblance of a timely, relevant recap. But some time has passed,  many people have aired a their opinions on the state of the program, and I've come up with some thoughts of my own. If that's of interest of you, there's more after the jump.

Best of the Web: The Top 20 Links of the Week

Happy Thanksgiving, Yinzers! And as a pre-turkey appetizer, here are this week's top 20 Burgh-related links from around the web.

We've got some Pirate roster moves, a nude Ochocinco, TO vs. Big Ben, Rashard Mendenhall's new job, and the death of a forced Penn State rivalry. It's a full plate, but you should still save room for pumpkin pie. Just a word of advice.

Best of the Web [93.7 The Fan at CBS Pittsburgh]

Mondesi's House: The Director's Cut (more links, commentary, etc): twitter.com/mondesishouse
Email: mondesishouse@gmail.com

EA Sports Simulation Says WVU Will Win the Backyard Brawl

Bad news, Panther fans...EA Sports simulated the Backyard Brawl via NCAA Football '11 and WVU won, 26-14. Unfortunately, even the computerized version of the Panthers chokes in big games.

So who does everyone like on Friday, in the non-computerized version? Do the 'Eers win one for embattled Bill Stewart or does Pitt win one for the slightly less embattled Wannstache?

Online Surveys & Market Research

Mondesi's House: The Director's Cut (more links, commentary, etc): twitter.com/mondesishouse
Email: mondesishouse@gmail.com

When it Rains, it Pours: Greg Romeus Out For the Season

At one point this season, Greg Romeus was looked at as a potential Top-10 NFL draft pick. Now, he'll have to prove that he's healthy enough to play at the next level, as it was announced today by the Wannstache that Romeus will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL, thus ending his Pitt career rather abruptly.

Pitt Once Again Capitalizes on the Opportunity to Disappoint

One thing I've learned over the years as a fan of Pitt football: just when you start to feel the least bit good about yourself, you should prepare to be let down. It's a pattern that never fails.

Best of the Web: The Top 20 Links of the Week

I tried to pick some interesting links for this week's Best of the Web column at 93.7 The Fan, and the haul includes how Jerry Jones spent his time post-Wade firing, a new Terrible Towel, Steeler Christmas ornaments, the NHL's fantasy-drafted All-Star Game, the dirtiness of Pitt basketball, Georges Laraque in a new movie, and much, much more.

Best of the Web [93.7 The Fan]

Mondesi's House: The Director's Cut (more links, commentary, etc): twitter.com/mondesishouse
Email: mondesishouse@gmail.com

Best of the Web: The Top 20 Links of the Week

For the link-starved among you, I once again offer a veritable buffet of interesting stories from around the web in this week's column for The Fan, "Best of the Web: The Top 20 Links of the Week".

We've got Max Being Max, Anthony Morelli's new gig, Penguins doing chores, hockey players hitting the reset button on their seasons, Penn State fans beating down one of their own, and much, MUCH more. If only I could've delayed this one more day, I would've linked the upcoming Trib story about the McRib in Pittsburgh, with quotes from yours truly. But alas, the show must go on.

Best of the Web: The Top 20 Links of the Week [93.7 The Fan]

Mondesi's House: The Director's Cut (more links, commentary, etc): twitter.com/mondesishouse
Email: mondesishouse@gmail.com

Picking This Weekend's Winners

It's that time again...time for you to do better than me at picking five football games for the coming weekend.

For those of you scoring at home, readers now have a three-game lead on yours truly for the season. This experiment is quickly turning against me. Regardless, I will keep trying. On to the slate:

Best of the Web

Today I'm rolling out the new column I've been working on for 93.7 The Fan, entitled, "Best of the Web". It's basically the marriage of a few concepts I've used over the years all rolled into one as a giant, weekly collection of the web's most interesting and popular links and videos.

The first installment includes more than 20 links and videos, so it should keep you busy for at least a few minutes. It's mostly Pittsburgh-related, but a few funny NFL, NBA, and MLB links managed to slip in as well.

You'll also notice that a few links are "repeats" from MH, but that's due to the fact that this will be tied into an on-air feature with the station and I wanted to include those for the radio side. (I'll pass along info on the on-air part of this as soon as it's finalized, which should be very soon).

So check it out, give it a test drive, and as always, tell me your likes and dislikes. Also, I wanted to put the word out to fellow Pittsburgh blogs that I'm especially interested in linking your unique-angled posts for future offerings, so please shoot me an email and link if you think it could be a good fit.

Best of the Web [93.7 The Fan]

Mondesi's House: The Director's Cut (more links, commentary, etc: twitter.com/mondesishouse
Email: mondesishouse@gmail.com

Picking This Weekend's Winners

My schedule has been kinda crazy lately (as you've noticed), so the weekly football preview is getting a little abbreviated this week. But there are still picks to be made - I've gotta make up that two-game gap you're holding on me. Our five spotlight games: Steelers-Fins, Packers-Vikes, Pitt-Rutgers, WVU-Syracuse, and PSU-Minnesota. Let's do it:

Welcome Back, DeJuan Blair

It's time for the annual Cleveland Cavaliers Pittsburgh exhibition game, and without LeBron James in tow, the box office was going to need a jump-start. Who will save the day, you ask? Try Pittsburgh's own DeJuan Blair.

Previewing the Top 5 Games This Weekend

I regressed badly in last week's pick-off, going 2-3 and once again falling behind the readers' collective picks (I lost on Penn State, as a reward for the one time I go out on a limb for them). But I'll try to get back on track with this weekend's Steelerless slate of games, including Pitt-Notre Dame, PSU-Illinois, WVU-UNLV, LSU-Florida, and a game I can't wait for, Vikings-Jets on Monday Night.

As for the Black and Gold, I'll consider this weekend a victory if no one shows up on either the police blotter or TMZ.com during their time off. A big victory.

Previewing the Top 5 Games This Weekend [93.7 The Fan]

Mondesi's House: The Director's Cut (more links, commentary, etc): twitter.com/mondesishouse
Email: mondesishouse@gmail.com

Tuesday News and Notes

Big Ben returns, an update on Pitt's RB situation, a former Penguin cut and a former Penguin signed, one last gaffe for the Buccos, Russell replacement candidates, and much, much more...