TODAY'S HEADLINES

Ben Roethlisberger didn't do Oprah or Larry King, but he did do sit-downs with Bob Pompeani [video] and Sally Wiggin [video] that were released on Thursday. No dice for Channel 11, though. I guess Team Ben didn't appreciate those Rick Earle remotes from Milledgeville. [KDKA, WTAE]

Nice work by the New York Times iPhone app, which somehow mixed up Ben Roethlisberger with noted lady murderer Joran Van Der Sloot. When it rains, it pours. [Deadspin]

The Washington Nationals completed a three-game sweep of the Pirates, beating the Buccos by a final of 4-2 on Thursday night. The Nationals became the last team in the Majors to sweep a series in 2010, another notch in the Pirates' belt of ineptitude. 

Adam Dunn and Josh Willingham both homered in the fourth off of Zach Duke, who allowed three runs and eight hits over five innings. Once again, the Pirate lineup was the equivalent of rubbing two wet sticks together and hoping for a spark, as no player in the lineup had more than one hit and they generated only two runs on the evening against Livan Hernandez.

The good news is that the few players who are hitting are the ones ID'd as the future of the team, namely Jose Tabata, Neil Walker, and Andrew McCutchen. But even that trifecta hasn't been able to help the Pirates win a game since last Saturday's 6-3 W against San Francisco.

Friday night marks the Pirates' start of interleague play, normally the time of the year when they officially drop off the face of the earth. Their first test comes in the form of Jim Leyland's Detroit Tigers, who hopefully won't throw any near-perfect games over the weekend. It's Justin Verlander (3.65, 4-4) vs. Paul Maholm (3.80, 4-4) kicking things off on Friday night at Comerica Park, with a 7:05 start. [ESPN]

Stephen Strasburg is already going to the Hall of Fame. Well, not technically, but at least his game-used memorabilia from his first start against the Pirates is, in the form of a ball and hat. [ESPN]


17 Pittsburgh Steelers rookies visited another Hall of Fame recently, that being the football Hall in Canton. They were wowed by the history of the sport, and took in plenty of info about their new employer, which happens to be quite an important piece of the NFL's puzzle of legends. [Pro Football HOF]

The Pitt Panthers will be once again facing a tough schedule in the upcoming basketball season, as it was announced on Wednesday that they will be playing Tennessee in the DirecTV SEC/Big East Invitational Decemeber 11 at the Consol Energy Center. They will also take part in the Coaches Vs. Cancer Classic at Madison Square Garden in November, with games against two teams from the group of Illinois, Maryland and Texas. [PG]

John Steigerwald recounts his up-close experience with the Stanley Cup, which was sitting on his parents' dining room table in 1992. [Just Watch the Game]

Two photos from the last Cup game to share: #1 was submitted by several readers, and I simply had to pass it along. #2 was sent in to me in my role as "the unofficial collector of misplaced Pittsburgh sports apparel":

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LINCOLN'S DEBUT NOT QUITE AT A STRASBURGIAN LEVEL

It wasn't quite the same level of excitement as the night before (OK, it was nowhere near the same level), but nonetheless, Wednesday was a HUGE night for the Pittsburgh Pirates, who welcomed Brad Lincoln and Jose Tabata to The Show in a 7-5 loss to the Washington Nationals.

Lincoln had what I would call a usual first-start for a MLB pitcher on Wednesday, quickly putting the Stephen Strasburg Exception out of memory. The rookie threw six innings, giving up seven hits, five runs, two walks, and a home run while striking out three, while consistently hit 92-93 on the gun with his fastball. Not great, not awful, just a typical first start to get out of the way and build upon. It's also worth noting that Lincoln's defense left a lot to be desired, especially in the fourth inning, when Lastings Milledge, Ronny Cedeno, and Andy LaRoche all failed to make tough plays that would've helped Lincoln's cause in  a three-run inning.

The feeble Pirate offense got an immediate boost from Tabata, who reached base three times and could not hide his excitement for his new gig prior to the game. With a top of the lineup that now goes Tabata/Walker/McCutchen/Jones, even a Debbie Downer like me thinks that things are starting to look up. A certain Alvarez would make it look even better, but all in good time, I suppose. If the threat of Pedro is supposed to motivate Andy LaRoche, it's not working: he's hitting .240 and was 0-for-4 on Wednesday. But I like the baby steps being made to infuse the prospects into the lineup.

Of the Pirates' 12 hits on the night, Milledge had three, while Tabata, Walker, Jones, and even Lincoln had two each. Unfortunately, 10 of the 12 hits were singles, proving yet again that this team is in desperate need of some pop.

The Pirates, who have lost four in a row, are now a season-low 13 games under .500, at 23-36. On Thursday, they'll send Zach Duke (5.43, 3-6) to the hill against JD Martin (2.31, 0-1), with another 7:05 start in Washington.

Regardless of their lousy record and weak offense, this team has gotten much more interesting of late with the additions of Walker, Lincoln, and Tabata, and I'm increasingly looking forward to Alvarez joining the cause. I'd rather see the team get these types of players worked into the mix instead of the Aki Iwamuras of the world that won't be here in 2011.

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FOR AT LEAST ONE NIGHT, STRASBURG MATCHES THE HYPE

Tuesday was the perfect night for the not-so-long-suffering Washington Nationals fans, right down to the opponent. Even lousy hurlers get excited when the Pittsburgh Pirates' weak-hitting lineup comes to town,  so it was obvious that a game against the Bucs would be the perfect starting point for Stephen Strasburg's much-hyped MLB career.

TODAY'S HEADLINES

Lots to cover in today's headlines, including the oh-so-rare nationally-televised Pirate game, a Pitt player who needs a favor, a new Pirate song, a Steeler drinking too much Grey Goose, Ravens rulebreaking, another Pitt recruit, and much more...

ABOUT THIS LASTINGS MILLEDGE CHARACTER

As you've probably heard, the Pirates just traded for the talented, colorful, and sometimes troubled young man shown above, one Lastings Milledge. The 24-year-old, who was the 12th overall pick by the New York Mets in the 2003 MLB Draft, has a very high ceiling, much higher than that of departed OF Nyjer Morgan, who was the epitome of a "sell high" player if the Pirates ever had one.

But talented 24-year-olds don't just go from team to team to team in a span of three years unless there's a catch, and you can be sure that there's a big one with Milledge. You see, his behavior is, shall we say, erratic at best. For example one, let's go to old friend Wikipedia:

Prior to the 2003 amateur draft, he was expected to be among the top three selections, but as draft day approached, press reports from 2002 resurfaced regarding Milledge's expulsion from Northside Christian High School after his junior year for allegedly having sex with a minor. He subsequently transferred to Lakewood Ranch High School where he finished his education and amateur baseball career.

As a result of the incident, Milledge was passed over in the 2003 amateur draft until the Mets selected him as the twelfth overall pick in the first round. The Mets began contract negotiations with Milledge, but the talks were interrupted in early August 2003, when the Mets learned of allegations of additional sexual misconduct against Milledge during his time at Northside.

That's certainly newsworthy. But wait...there's more. Fast-forward to 2007:

In May, it was reported that Milledge appeared in a rap song, "Bend Ya Knees," by Manny D, a childhood friend. The song contained the words "b***h", "ho", and "n***a". The Mets organization responded by saying, "We disapprove of the content, language and message of this recording, which does not represent the views of the New York Mets."

OK, so he's proven that his judgment is not the best. But I'll be he's got some great intro music each time he comes to bat.

Make no bones about it: dealing Morgan and P Sean Burnett for Milledge and reliever Joel Hanrahan this afternoon was somewhat of a calculated risk (although USA Today is calling it a potential heist for the Pirates). But really, aren't all trades?

As previously stated, Morgan's value was peaking right now. Yes, he was a nice guy who fans enjoyed, and yes, he played solid defense; but you can't overlook the fact that A) he couldn't get on base nearly enough, and B) he's been thrown out 10 times in 28 stolen base attempts this season. Plus, he's four years older than Milledge. Burnett has had a good season by his standards, but he's very replaceable. The most interesting question I can think of regarding his departure is whether or not someone will return the favor and build a shrine to him as he did for Nate McLouth.

In Hanrahan, the Pirates pickup a flamethrower who reaches the high 90s. True, his ERA is an unsightly 7.71 this season in 32 innings, and he's a ghastly 5-for-10 in save opportunities; but his strikeout to walk ratio this season is an impressive 35:14. That's at least something to work with.

Pirate clubhouse reaction has been the typical, boo-hoo variety. Jack Wilson, obviously long overdue for a plane ticket out of the Burgh, had this to say:

"The bottom line is, even if this trade does work out, it's not going to matter to 80 percent of the people in here," Wilson said. "And over the years, these trades haven't worked. Show me the ones that have worked."

Wilson described himself as "beyond, beyond tired" of such moves.

"We know that they're looking to the future, which doesn't say much about 2009," he continued. "That's probably what's so shocking. We're five games out, and we lost two or three of our everyday players. That's what hits us the most. You can understand if it's the end of July. You see that stuff coming. ... They're businessmen. They're trying to achieve winning baseball in Pittsburgh. The biggest question is: When is that going to be. When do things start turning around? It's just hard for guys who have been here and seen these exact same trades happen and seen it absolutely do nothing. I've been here nine years. I've seen these trades 2 or 3 times a year every year and still haven't had a winning season. You hope, eventually, some of these trades will work out. It's just they haven't yet. They think they're getting deals they can't pass up. I guess. I guess. I guess. Whatever."

In his haste to push his employer down the stairs, Wilson failed to realize that many of his very teammates (the Brothers LaRoche, Freddy Sanchez, Delwyn Young, Brandon Moss, Jason Jaramillo, etc.) were acquired via these trades that "haven't worked". Hopefully, the next Huntington deal can include either Wilson, Ian Snell, or Adam LaRoche, three veterans who have clearly soured on the Pirate experience and are not part of the future.

In Washington, acting GM Mike Rizzo is telling Nats fans they just acquired "two cornerstones of the organization". That's right, now Nyjer Morgan and Sean Burnett are cornerstones of an organization. Comments like that will probably ensure that Rizzo's title will never go beyond "acting".

As for the on-field product, the Pirates shut out the Cubs, 3-0, behind three hits from Freddy Sanchez and seven innings (and eight Ks) from Ross "Mr. Wonderful" Ohlendorf. Don't look now, but the last-place Buccos are only six games out of first.
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BUCCO ROAD REPORT: WASHINGTON, DC

Reader Ross Bowker of Monongahela recently attended the forgettable Pirates-Nationals series in DC and sent along some pics and video of the scene. And since I neglected to talk about the series on the field, I figured the least I could do was show some pics of the atmosphere.

And now, in the words of Ross:

"I know nearly every Pittsburgh sports fan was unaware of anything going on outside of the Pens/Rangers game 5 on Sunday afternoon. I also wanted to see the game, but had scheduled a Bucco Road Trip to our nation’s capital for the weekend. My dad and I drove down on Saturday and stayed the night with family in a suburb of the city. We toured some of the landmarks and went out on Saturday night. I was really impressed with the cleanliness of the city, especially since we’re from the “sootiest city” in America. Everything in downtown DC was first class, including the Verizon Center (home of the Wizards and the Capitals), although there are some bad areas in the outskirts.

We took the Metro subway system from College Park, MD. It was very quick and got us to the Navy Yard stop, right next to the new ballpark. We were treated to quite a sight after getting off the Metro:

It was a beautiful day – about 74 degrees and not a cloud in the sky; but it was very windy. After entering the stadium, it was obvious that it would be difficult to hit a homer out to left since the wind was blowing very hard towards the 1st base side (where our seats were). Greeting us in the center field entrance was an enormous poster of the Nats opening night walk off HR by Ryan Zimmerman:

Here is another shot from the initial view after entering in Center Field:Here's an overview of the stadium from our seats. During the break from the 2nd to 3rd innings, there was a familiar sight: the Pierogi race. Only this time, they were accompanied by the Presidents: Abe, George, and Teddy (I think). Here’s a video. Abe came out on top:

What was I most impressed with? Probably the 1300” video board in high definition. It was spectacular! Here it is displaying the Buccos defensive alignment for the day:

I was also surprised at the amount of Pittsburgh fans. Yes, we all know there are Steeler fans everywhere. But I saw A LOT of Bucco fans, many of them with old style Clemente jerseys. I even sat next to a Bucco fan from Shaler, now living in DC.

The food selection is also much better than PNC Park. There were so many great things to eat, but I had a Chesapeake Burger – a quarter pound burger with a half pound of crab meat on top. It was delicious!

I would definitely recommend going down to DC to check this place out. It will be a delight for any baseball fan looking to explore another great ballpark.

Sadly, the Buccos lost. But I was informed by text message that the Pens had won, so I could still ride back with a smile on my face."