Wednesday Headlines

The major talking points for Wednesday around The Burgh:

TODAY'S HEADLINES

The Pittsburgh Penguins dropped to 0-4 on the season against the Washington Capitals with a 6-3 loss last night in the team's final regular season game at Mellon Arena. Jordan Leopold scored twice for the Pens and Sidney Crosby added his 48th goal of the year, but that's pretty much where the good news ended.

The bad news was plentiful, starting with the absence of Evgeni Malkin, who left the ice after a few minutes of warmups with an undisclosed illness. It was all downhill from there, as Alex Ovechkin scored twice, tying Crosby for the league lead in goals on an empty-netter with a second remaining in regulation. The Penguin defense and Marc-Andre Fleury both struggled mightily as the team lost their fifth in eight games and slipped into fourth place in the conference. [ESPN]

The Pittsburgh Steelers will be bringing five college players in for visits today, some which raise an eyebrow or two.

Oregon running back LaGarrette Blount, who punched a Boise State player and was suspended for most of the 2009 season, and Oklahama State WR Dez Bryant, who was suspended for lying to the NCAA, were among them. Yep, it looks like this team is valuing character more than ever. [PG]

Ziggy Hood will be appearing at an Altoona Curve game on Thursday to sign autographs for two hours. Hood will also throw out the night’s ceremonial first pitch and participate in a pre-game show interview simulcast on the video board. 

It should tell you how popular the Steelers are when they're being used as promotions for minor league baseball games.  [AltoonaCurve.com] 

Hines Ward spoke out in support of Ben Roethlisberger and Santonio Holmes, telling KDKA, "I'm just there to support my teammates. I know they're probably going through some hard times and as being one of the leaders on the team, just trying to go out and have their back and show my support." [KDKA.com]

The Pittsburgh Pirates aim for a 2-0 start at 7:05 tonight against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ross Ohlendorf takes the hill against Clayton Kershaw at PNC Park.  Garrett Jones will try to continue his 324 home run pace for the Bucs. [PittsburghPirates.com]

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AARON SMITH OUT THREE MONTHS

If you thought the Steelers' defense had problems playing without Troy Polamalu, that was just the beginning. Their concerns just multiplied with the news that DE Aaron Smith could be out up to three months due to pending surgery on his right rotator cuff on Friday. That would put his return sometime in the mid-January range, which means Mike Tomlin could have a decision on his hands: to IR or not to IR. Interesting.

While Smith does not get the "national" praise that Polamalu receives, make no bones about it - this is a tremendous loss for the defense; if it's not as big as losing Polamalu, it's pretty close.

Rookie Ziggy Hood will be part of the rotation in Smith's stead, but being that he is not quite ready for prime time, it's not going to be his gig exclusively. Travis Kirschke and Nick Eason will also be in the mix.

In other injury news, it looks like safety Troy Polamalu and RB Willie Parker will be back in action for Sunday's game against Cleveland. So at least there was some good news to come from Mike Tomlin at his Tuesday press conference.

Aaron Smith out with shoulder injury [PG]
Smith to undergo surgery [Scout.com]

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NEWS AND NOTES

The new radio ratings are in, and Mark Madden posted an eye-popping 14.0 among listeners 18-34 (up from 11.6), placing him #1 in that coveted demographic. He also landed at #2 among listeners 25-54. What else can you say? He's talking at a very high level right now.

--Hunter Strickland, who just came over in the Adam LaRoche LaTrade, combined with Diego Moreno for a no-hitter for the Pirates' single-A West Virginia team. Strickland threw six innings, striking out five, while Moreno tossed the final three, striking out three. Start making those 2011 World Series plans now, fellow Yinzers. [MinorLeagueBaseball.com]

--In one short column, Dejan Kovacevic mentions not one, not two, but seven Pirates that could move via trade: Freddy Sanchez, John Grabow, Jack Wilson, Matt Capps, Robinson Diaz, Tom Gorzelanny, and Ian Snell. At this point, it would probably be easier to make a list of players not available, but I don't think such a list exists. [PG]

--Speaking of Snell, he continues to dominate AAA, with a 0.96 ERA and 51 strikeouts for Indianapolis. I must say, that was quite the savvy deadline deal by their GM. [Trib]

--Penn State is ranked #1!!! Of course, the list is "America's Best Party Schools", and I'm pretty sure they won't play Pitt in that sport, either. Adam the Penn State Fan, a response? [PG]

--Who could clean up the Big Ben mess? ESPN's DJ Gallo suggests Jeff Reed may be up for the task. [ESPN.com]

--Another day, another Colin Cowherd link, as he tries to explain ESPN's position on their Ben Roethlisberger coverage, claiming there was "Not a peep from Ben, his agent, or the Steelers."

Am I nuts, or did Ben's lawyer (as well as Steelers spokesman Dave Lockett) not address this almost immediately? [The Herd's Word]

--It's a sad day: the last keg of Iron City made in Pittsburgh was wheeled off the production line. on Friday. Production moves to an area you're all somewhat familiar with: Latrobe. Remember, that's where champions train. And using that rationale, if the Latrobe facility doesn't work out, it will then be brewed at Southpointe. [Trib]

--KSK really outdid themselves with their recap of Peter King's first column since being back from a well-deserved vacation, including info on his visit to the pee pee doctor. A+, gentlemen. [Kissing Suzy Kolber]

--Miroslav Satan is talking to the Islanders. It's moves like these that make them...the Islanders. [Kukla's Korner]

--Ziggy Hood, the eighth first-rounder on the Steelers' roster, looks like he'll fit right in. True, the Steelers usually hit the jackpot in the first round. It's some of those later picks that need a little work (**cough**Fred Gibson**cough cough**). [PB&G]

--Levance Fields still has his sights set on playing in the NBA. He failed to make the Orlando Magic's roster this summer, but signed a lucrative contract with Russian Superleague team Spartak St. Petersburg as a Plan B. He also proved that he can still palm the ball for dramatic photos, if that holds any value to an NBA squad. [NY Daily News]

--Celebrity Chef/former Steeler Amos Zereoue had his hands full with a $100 per plate charity dinner at Appalachian Power Park in Charleston, WV. This officially becomes the second known photo of a former Steeler RB in chef attire after this vintage shot of Kevan Barlow. [WVGazette.com]

And finally, we'll miss you, Eddie Johnston. [PG]

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FOOTBALL SEASON IS GETTING CLOSER

We're finally entering the end of the sports black hole between hoisting the Stanley Cup and heading to Latrobe, and I, for one, couldn't be happier. Yeah, yeah, I know we have a "professional" baseball team in town, but they rarely score runs and seem to be focused on 2011 as a date to once again be competitive. So that leaves football next on our agenda, and we'll take it in any flavor at this point, be it professional, collegiate, or made-for-TV, like the taping of "Shaq Vs." on Friday night.

The Big Artistotle and the Big Benjamin took to Ambridge's Rubenstein Stadium and electrified thousands of onlookers who wisely seized the opportunity to watch two of the world's sports titans face off on the gridiron. It was surely a nice break from a stressful week for Roethlisberger, who whooped it up for the cameras and got some love from the home crowd, which camped out as long as four hours for the one-of-a-kind taping. Yes, more bad news could be coming for #7, but on this evening, it was all smiles for the two-time champion.

In the matters of real NFL news, first-round pick Ziggy Hood was all smiles this weekend as he agreed to a five-year deal, making him just the fourth first-rounder from the 2009 draft to do so. With Hood now in the fold, the Steelers expect to have all 80 players on their roster reporting when training camp opens on Friday. That's music to my ears, with the song being "The Steeler Polka", of course.

Hood will soon find out that teammate Ike Taylor is fast. Just how fast? He ran a 4.26 in the 40 at Disney's Wide World of Sports, prompting his speed coach, Tom Shaw, to remark, "Ike is the fastest kid I've ever trained."

Shaw's list includes such notable burners as Deion Sanders and Titans RB Chris Johnson, who ran the fastest time ever (4.24) at the combine. Again, this is all news that should make Steeler fans very happy.

Outside of Hood and Taylor, the Steelers have 78 other men under their wing going into camp, and the PG had a neat piece outlining everyone from Dennis Dixon to Greg Warren. I must say, there's some intriguing names on this list. Starting at the top, I think Mike Reilly is the prototypical training camp QB that fans could latch onto. RB Frank "The Tank" Summers is already an internet sensation and reminds Steeler fans of (drum roll, please...) Jerome Bettis. Stefan Logan could be verrry interesting. And putting all jokes from last year aside, I can't wait to see where Limas Sweed is at this year.

There are new starters (William Gay, Lawrence Timmons), and guys returning from injury (Rashard Mendenhall, Dan Sepulveda). There are guys with a lot to prove (Bruce Davis) and guys who are still hanging around from the class of '98 (Hines Ward, Charlie Batch, Deshea Townsend). And there are lots of guys in their contract years who want to break the bank.

Yes, there are plenty of reasons to be thrilled about training camp, and the countdown is in the home stretch. Are you ready for some football? I am. I'm ready for lots and lots of football, as a matter of fact. We need to be patient for just a few short days, my football-loving friends. And the payoff, it shall be great.


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STEELERS N THE HOOD

EVANDER "ZIGGY" HOOD
6'2", 300 LBS
DEFENSIVE TACKLE
MISSOURI

With the 32nd selection in the 2009 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers select....Missouri Defensive Tackle Evander "Ziggy" Hood, officially the first Pittsburgh athlete named Ziggy since the great Ziggy Palffy. But don't make fun of his nickname - it was given to him by his grandma.

ESPN ranked Hood 42nd among all prospects and 3rd at his position. Last season, he amassed a career-high 62 tackles (including seven for losses) and five sacks in 14 games for the Tigers. He chose Missouri over Arizona State, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas-El Paso and Baylor following a standout career at Palo Duro HS in Amarillo, Texas.

A three-year starter at Missouri, Hood projects as an unspectacular yet very solid pro at the NFL level. But we all know how hard it is to find solid d-linemen, and I certainly trust the first-round track record of Kevin Colbert.

Hood is supposedly a very hard worker, coachable, and a team leader, all good attributes. The Steelers were inevitably going to address the pending needs at the position, so I'm on board with the selection.

The Steelers hold eight picks on day two of the draft, including three in round three, two in round five, one in round six, and two in round seven. I doubt that you'll see them finish with eight players, because if you count Hood, there's no way nine rookies are making this team. Look for some wheeling and dealing from the Black and Gold on Sunday.

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