Pirates' Cole gets 1st HR of season, 1st career win vs Reds

The Associated Press

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports

August 26, 2017

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Gerrit Cole throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday, Aug. 26, 2017, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

CINCINNATI (AP) — On his 10th try, Gerrit Cole finally beat the Cincinnati Reds. And he pretty much had to do it by himself.

Cole ended his career-long futility against the Reds by hitting a homer , pitching seven innings and leading the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 1-0 victory Saturday night.

"That's the old thing: When something like this happens, you joking say he Little Leagued them," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. "He shut 'em out and hit a homer. That's impressive."

Cole (11-8) was 0-6 against Cincinnati in nine starts, including a loss earlier this season. He broke through by holding down a lineup that had scored nine runs the previous night. Cole gave up five hits, didn't walk a batter and fanned six.

He also connected for his first homer of the season and the third of his career off Luis Castillo (2-7) in the sixth, getting around on a 95 mph fastball. It was Cole's first homer since May 26, 2016, against Arizona at PNC Park.

Cole has had so little practice at his home run trot that he stumbled rounding second base.

"I almost broke my ankle at second base and I think (Cincinnati's) Scooter Gennett was laughing at me," Cole said. "It doesn't happen very often. It's cool being in the box and hearing the sound off the bat."

The last time an opposing pitcher homered to beat the Reds 1-0 was 1983, when the Dodgers' Bob Welch connected off Mario Soto, according to information from the Elias Sports Bureau provided by the Reds. It was the first time in Pirates history that a pitcher drove in all Pittsburgh's runs in a shutout victory.

"I made a mental mistake," Castillo said. "He was leading off and I threw a fastball right down the middle and he hit it out of the park."

Cole is 8-0 in his last nine road starts. The last Pirates pitcher to win eight straight road decisions was Don Robinson in 1982.

Juan Nicasio and Felipe Rivero completed the five-hitter, with the left-hander getting his 15th save in 16 chances.

The Pirates won for only the third time in 13 games against their Ohio River rivals this season, and did it with minimal offense. Pittsburgh hit just four balls out of the infield — including Cole's homer — in seven innings against Castillo, who matched his career high by fanning nine.

Pittsburgh has lost 10 of its last 14 games, fading out of the NL Central race. The last-place Reds are 16-26 since the All-Star break.

GOTCHA

Cincinnati left fielder Adam Duvall threw out Josh Bell at the plate as he tried to score on David Freese's single in the fourth inning. It was the 13th time Duvall has thrown out a baserunner this season, the most by a major league outfielder. Duvall's 13 assists are the most by a Reds outfielder since Jay Bruce had that many in 2013.

STATS

It was the 21st 1-0 game in Great American Ball Park's 15-year history. ... Joey Votto's streak of reaching base in 29 straight games was snapped. ... Eugenio Suarez's career-high 10-game hitting streak ended.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Pirates: C Francisco Cervelli went back on the 10-day DL with a sore left thigh. He came off the disabled list Friday after recovering from a sore wrist, and hurt his thigh while running the bases. C Elias Dias was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis. ... OF Gregory Polanco, on the DL for the second time because of a strained left hamstring, did some agility drills and took batting practice but isn't close to returning. ... Wade LeBlanc, on the DL with a strained left thigh, threw 45 pitches in a simulated game. He's eligible to be activated on Monday.

Reds: RHP Homer Bailey expects to start Wednesday against the Mets. He left his outing last Tuesday against the Cubs after only three innings because of discomfort in the back of his pitching shoulder. The Reds are giving him a couple extra days to recover.

UP NEXT

Pirates: RHP Jameson Taillon is 1-2 in his career against the Reds with a 7.01 ERA. He's made three starts against them this season, going 0-2 while allowing 16 runs in 14 2/3 innings.

Reds: RHP Tyler Mahle makes his major league debut. Chad Wallach, who caught him at Triple-A Louisville this season, will be behind the plate. Wallach's father, former major leaguer Tim Wallach, is planning to attend. Wallach is a Marlins coach.

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More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

Dodgers' Rich Hill loses perfect game in 9th; no-hitter and game in 10th

By Will Graves, The Associated Press

http://www.espn.com/mlb/

August 24, 2017

Pittsburgh Pirates’ Josh Harrison (5) has a bucket of sports drink and ice dumped over his head by teammates Sean Rodriguez (3) and Josh Bell, left, as he is interviewed after hitting a walk-off home run to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers and break up the no-hitter by Dodgers starting pitcher Rich Hill in the tenth inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2017, in Pittsburgh. The Pirates won 1-0 in ten innings.(AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

Pittsburgh-- Rich Hill's first 98 pitches left the Pittsburgh Pirates confounded, occasionally fuming and absolutely hitless. His 99th turned a potentially historic night by the Los Angeles Dodgers lefty into something else entirely:

A loss.

After Hill's bid for a perfect game was spoiled by a leadoff error in the ninth inning, Josh Harrison started the 10th by connecting on an 88 mph fastball over the middle of the plate and sending a drive into the first row of seats in left field. It wrecked Hill's improbable -- and improbably lengthy -- try at a no-hitter and lifted the Pirates to a stunning 1-0 win on Wednesday.

"It falls on me, this one -- one bad pitch," Hill said.

Dodgers left fielder Curtis Granderson made a fearless attempt to preserve the no-hitter, banging into the wall going for a catch. When the ball sailed inches past his outstretched glove, Harrison sprinted around the bases after his 16th home run while Hill (9-5) slowly walked off the field after being handed his first loss in nearly two months.

"I hit it and I knew I didn't get it all," Harrison said. "I knew I got enough."

Just enough on a night Hill flirted with the 24th perfect game in major league history. His shot at joining one of baseball's most exclusive clubs ended when third baseman Logan Forsythe couldn't handle Jordy Mercer's grounder opening the ninth. Hill retired the next three batters and manager Dave Roberts sent the 37-year-old Hill out for the 10th, a makeup call of sorts after Hill was pulled after seven innings and 89 pitches of perfection against Miami last September.

It turned out to be one batter too many, though both Hill and Roberts tried to downplay their disappointment. Hill remains in the middle of a late-career renaissance in Los Angeles and his flirtation with perfection is the latest sign his stuff -- built on precision rather than power -- can still get batters out with remarkable efficiency.

"He competed, every pitch was with a purpose," Roberts said. "Unfortunately, we just couldn't get that one hit. We've done it all year long."

Just not this time.

Los Angeles Dodgers starter Rich Hill pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2017, in Pittsburgh.(AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

Seattle ace Felix Hernandez threw the last perfect game in the big leagues, in 2012 against Tampa Bay. Since then, three pitchers have lost perfect game tries with two outs in the ninth — Yu Darvish for Texas and Yusmeiro Petit for San Francisco in 2013 and Max Scherzer for Washington in 2015. Miami's Edinson Volquez has pitched the only no-hitter in the majors this year, in June against Arizona.

Hill became the first pitcher since Pedro Martinez in 1995 to take a no-hit try into extra innings. Martinez, then with Montreal, lost his perfect game in the 10th at San Diego. Hill finished nine innings with a "0'' in the hit column but it doesn't count as an official no-no.

Under Major League Baseball rules, a pitcher must complete the game — going nine innings isn't enough if it goes into extras. Back in 1959, a Pirates pitcher had perhaps the most famous near-miss of all when Harvey Haddix lost his perfect game and the game itself in the 13th at Milwaukee.

Hill nodded when told of Haddix's story in the aftermath, though the similarities are only superficial. Haddix and the '59 Pirates finished in fourth place, nine games out of first.

Even with the setback, the Dodgers (89-36) remain within striking distance of the best regular-season record in major league history and favorites to reach the World Series. That was the ultimate goal when Hill threw his first pitch in front of 19,859 at PNC. And when he threw his last.

"We have something bigger than any individual here that's going on," Hill said. "That's something we all realize and have to understand tomorrow is another day and is a big day to come back and win the series. We're in it for the delayed gratification, not the instant gratification."

Still, the signs appeared to be pointing toward something special.

Hill raced through eight innings thanks in part to impeccable control and some spectacular defense behind him, most notably a diving grab by second baseman Chase Utley on a liner by Josh Bell leading off the eighth.

Bell was ruled safe on a close play at first in the second inning, but the call was overturned when replay showed Hill tagged him just before his foot hit the bag. First baseman Adrian Gonzalez also made a sliding grab on a bunt attempt by Harrison in the fourth but otherwise, Hill was in firm command.

Hill struck out 10 and only reached three-ball counts twice but it wasn't enough to shake Pittsburgh's Trevor Williams. The rookie matched Hill out for out, if not pitch for pitch. Williams scattered seven hits in eight innings, including a nine-pitch battle with Forsythe to end the eighth, an at bat that ended with Forsythe lining out to short with the go-ahead run on second base.

Juan Nicasio (2-5) kept Los Angeles scoreless in the top of the 10th and Harrison stepped to the plate leading off the bottom of the inning with a little bit of history on his side. He broke up a no-hit bid by Detroit's Justin Verlander with two outs in the ninth in 2012. That game ended in a Pittsburgh loss. This one ended with Harrison mobbed at home plate while Hill left as the losing pitcher following the best game of his career.

"It's just baseball is so weird and, you end up with a loss," Williams said of watching Hill work so brilliantly. "It's crazy."

TRAINER'S ROOM

Dodgers: LHP Clayton Kershaw (lower back strain) will make a rehab start for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Saturday. Roberts said the team considered having Kershaw return directly to the majors on Saturday but decided to exercise caution with such a large lead in the division. ... RHP Yu Darvish (lower back tightness) will be activated off the disabled list on Sunday and start against Milwaukee.

Pirates: Trainer Todd Tomczyk is "optimistic" RF Gregory Polanco will return from a strained left hamstring before the end of the season. Polanco is currently on the 10-day disabled list for a third time this season because of hamstring trouble. ... C Francisco Cervelli (left wrist inflammation) is eligible to come off the disabled list on Thursday and could return to the lineup.

UP NEXT

Dodgers: Hyun-Jin Ryu (4-6, 3.45 ERA) is undefeated in his last eight starts, going 2-0 with a 2.22 ERA since June 17.

Pirates: Chad Kuhl (6-8, 4.52) will try to bounce back from his worst start of the season on Thursday. Kuhl gave up eight runs in three-plus innings last week against St. Louis.

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More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

Bryant, Conner make most of their Steelers debuts

By Kevin Gorman

http://triblive.com/sports/

August 20, 2017

Pittsburgh Steelers running back James Conner, who dropped three passes against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, runs the ball as Atlanta Falcons defensive back Sharrod Neasman (20) defends in the first half of an NFL preseason football game, Sunday, Aug. 20, 2017, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Fred Vuich)(Fred Vuich)

It is incumbent upon to me to issue a reminder that the Steelers' 17-13 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday at Heinz Field was only a preseason game.

Perhaps that will make it easier to review the long-awaited return of Martavis Bryant and the much-anticipated debut of James Conner.

To be kind, they had their moments but didn't make anyone forget about Antonio Brown or Le'Veon Bell.

“We just wanted to go out there and have fun and do what guys do, and that's play football, enjoy the game we love playing,” Bryant said. “We didn't want to add pressure to ourselves.”

Of course, this is the preseason. The Steelers know what they have in Bryant, who was catching passes from rookie quarterback Joshua Dobbs, not Ben Roethlisberger, and didn't have Brown opposite him.

But after a yearlong suspension for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy, Bryant was finally back in the starting lineup for the first time after 19 months in exile.

The Steelers went to him immediately, with Dobbs throwing a pass in the right flat for a 3-yard loss.

Bryant's next touch didn't go much better. He took an end-around off left tackle but fumbled out of bounds for a 1-yard loss. Two plays later, however, he caught a late-arriving pass down the right sideline for a 23-yard gain to the Atlanta 24.

“I was glad to play with my brothers and in front of the fans — the best fans in the world — and I'm just happy to be back out here,” Bryant said. “Everything can't be touchdown-touchdown-touchdown. You've got to keep working and learn from things. We're going to look at lots of film, see what went wrong and get better for it.”

Afterward, Conner was singing the same tune. The third-round pick from Pitt overcame three drops to finish with a game-high 98 rushing yards on 20 carries and one catch for 3 yards.

Where Bryant's return was brief, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said he “wanted to get to know” Conner and told the rookie running back he would get as much as he could handle. It would be behind a starting offensive line missing Pro Bowl center Maurkice Pouncey and left guard Ramon Foster in the first half and a patchwork line in the second half.

Conner ran for a 3-yard gain on his first NFL touch, making his battle with Hodgkin's lymphoma seem like a lifetime ago instead of just 14 months removed from chemotherapy.

“Man, just awesome. At Heinz Field, so I was right at home,” Conner said. “My first carry in a Steelers uniform was something special.”

Conner was dropped for a 6-yard loss on second-and-10 at the Atlanta 24. Two plays later, however, he ran for an 11-yard gain to set up Chris Boswell's 42-yard field goal.

But it went backward from there. On the Steelers' next possession, Dobbs rolled right on third-and-4 at the Steelers 47 and flipped a pass to Conner. But Conner, too intent on turning up field, took his eyes off the ball and dropped the pass. On the next series, Conner would drop another pass on third-and-2 at the 49.

“It's nice to finish with running the ball hard,” Conner said, “but it's not acceptable for those passes I was dropping.”

What inspired Conner was the encouragement of teammates, who watched him go from playing for the Panthers to the Steelers.

“When taking the tunnel and walking to the field, it's like I've been doing it for so long, so it's comfortable,” Conner said. “It's with a different group of guys, but those guys embraced me.

“All of the veterans on this team, with me dropping the ball, came up to me and said, ‘Keep your head up.' It's a really special group of guys the Pittsburgh Steelers have.”

Conner took advantage of Bell's holdout in protest of his franchise-tag tender in the second half. He rushed for 85 yards on 15 carries, including runs of 17 and 19 yards to set up Bart Houston's 6-yard scoring pass to Justin Hunter for the win.

“I thought he represented himself well, particularly from a conditioning standpoint,” Tomlin said. “You can't underscore that element of it. I know as a professional athlete, he's generally in shape, but he hasn't played a lot of football. To be able to execute the large number of snaps that he did is encouraging.”

So was the sight of Bryant and Conner in Steelers uniforms, especially with both promising that we have yet to see their best.

Kevin Gorman is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at kgorman@tribweb.com or via Twitter @KGorman_Trib.

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Five Steelers to watch in Sunday's preseason game with the Falcons

Bell powers Pirates past Cards 6-3 in Little League Classic

By Travis Johnson, The Associated Press

http://www.espn.com/mlb/

August 20, 2017

Aug 20; Williamsport, PA; Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Josh Bell (55) hits a three run home run during the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at BB&T Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Carlsen-USA TODAY Sports

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. -- Despite spending the afternoon with 12-year-old Little Leaguers who idolize pros like himself, Josh Bell didn't find himself dispensing much advice.

"No one came to me and asked, `What do you think about my swing?" Bell said. "It was more like, `Follow me on Instagram' or like this or that picture. It was more lighthearted."

So he gave them a firsthand demonstration of how to hit one out.

Bell homered and drove in four runs to lead the Pittsburgh Pirates over the St. Louis Cardinals 6-3 in the Little League Classic on Sunday night.

The teams played at renovated Bowman Field, a 91-year-old minor league ballpark located 5 miles from where the Little League World Series is taking place. Sitting in the front rows were admiring Little Leaguers who got to mingle with the big league stars earlier in the day, part of a Major League Baseball initiative to celebrate youth baseball.

After the final out of MLB's first regular-season game in Williamsport, the Pirates shook hands on the field as usual following a victory. And then -- in a nod to Little League baseball -- both teams lined up at home plate and shook hands with each other, throwing in some hugs and high-fives to finish off a feel-good day.

"It was refreshing every once in a while to be able to look in the stands and see the kids watching the game," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. "It was one of the highlights of my career."

Cardinals manager Mike Matheny also appreciated the atmosphere inside a 2,366-seat venue that was packed with 2,596 fans.

"You can't help but get caught up, especially these kids treating our players like they're heroes as they walk through there," Matheny said. "Pretty special stuff. I think that's something they never get used to completely."

Bell sent a pitch from Mike Leake (7-12) over the right-center wall for a two-run shot in the first inning. The rookie slugger added a two-run single in the third to give Pittsburgh the lead for good.

"He's a maturing player," Hurdle said. "His overall game has just found a good, competitive place at this level. He's become a very definite guy that can do some damage at the plate."

Adam Frazier homered for the second straight game and Andrew McCutchen added an RBI grounder for the Pirates, who were the "home" team and won their second in a row to split the four-game series. They snapped a six-game skid with a rain-delayed victory Saturday in Pittsburgh.

Pirates starter Ivan Nova (11-10) wasn't affected by Saturday's late finish. The team sent him to Williamsport early that day so he'd be rested and ready. And he was. Nova gave up three runs on eight hits and struck out five in 5 2/3 innings.

He got through a tough stretch in the fourth when St. Louis put two runners on with no outs. Nova struck out Kolten Wong and Randal Grichuk before getting Jose Martinez to ground out.

"No panic, no panic," Nova said. "I was just trying to stay ahead."

Felipe Rivero got three outs for his 14th save in 15 chances. With runners on first and second, Paul DeJong hit a long fly to center field for the final out.

Jedd Gyorko cut Pittsburgh's lead to 3-2 with a two-run homer in the second, his 17th of the season. Wong had an RBI single for St. Louis in the sixth.

The Pirates' bullpen held the Cardinals to two hits after Nova's exit.

BLAST FROM THE PAST

St. Louis players Lance Lynn and Grichuk both starred for their respective Little League teams. Grichuk made back-to-back appearances in the Little League World Series for Richmond, Texas, in 2003 and 2004. Lynn's team from Brownsburg, Indiana, went 0-3 in 1999.

A couple of Pirates also had memories of Williamsport.

Max Moroff was on the Maitland, Florida, team that advanced to the semifinals of the 2005 Little League World Series, and Hurdle spent a year managing the now-defunct Williamsport Bills, then a New York Mets affiliate. He was asked if any of the gear or keepsakes he signed Sunday had a Bills logo on it.

"Not one Williamsport Bills item has popped up," Hurdle said. "It was a very forgettable year."

The Bills went 60-79 in Hurdle's lone season.

LITTLE LEAGUERS TAKE PART

Little League players took part all night, beginning with the opening pitch.

A player from each team lined up from center field and around the bases to relay the first pitch to Pirates catcher Chris Stewart. Players also relayed lineup cards to officials, answered trivia questions on the field for Xboxes and signed memorabilia. Kids got the best seats in the house -- in the front rows and winding around both dugouts.

They also got a chance to take over the stadium public address system, announcing players as they walked to the plate, and were treated to nearly 200 snow cones bought by Cardinals outfielder Tommy Pham.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: St. Louis is off Monday before Lynn (10-6) opens a six-game homestand against San Diego on Tuesday. Lynn, who struggled with a 5.68 ERA in June, has lowered that to 2.00 in three August starts.

Pirates: Gerrit Cole (10-8) faces the major league-leading Dodgers on Monday. Cole is 4-1 in his last eight starts.

Back in Heinz Field, James Conner posts 98 yards in Steelers debut

Jeremy FowlerESPN Staff Writerhttp://www.espn.com/blog/pittsburgh-steelers/August 20, 2017

James Conner runs against the Falcons in his Steelers debut (Fred Vuich/Associated Press)

PITTSBURGH -- That's two in a row for the perennial preseason losers. The Pittsburgh Steelers went 3-14 in their past four preseasons but have knocked off the New York Giants and the Atlanta Falcons in back-to-back weeks. That's not exactly exciting after the starters looked uninspired in the first half of Sunday's 17-13 home win over the Falcons. But at least former Pitt star James Conner's 98-yard debut and playmaking from some reserves kept the pace up.

QB depth chart: Josh Dobbs cleaned up his accuracy on short and over-the-middle passes, completing 9 of his first 14 attempts. He failed to stretch the field, a strength in his preseason opener against the Giants. Dobbs typically looks more comfortable when stepping into the pocket and going vertical. The Steelers tried a few deep balls early in the second half but couldn't connect. Overall, Dobbs (10-of-19, 70 yards, one interception) minimized mistakes. His late-game interception was fluky: He flicked the ball toward the sideline while getting pulled down for a sack.

When it was starters vs. starters, the Steelers looked … unspectacular. Hard to gauge with the Steelers sitting so many key players, but the defense let Falcons backups operate wide swaths of open field while catching passes from three different quarterbacks. Pittsburgh just looked a step late against the pass for much of the first half. The eventual return of four starters should aid those issues. The offensive line, sitting Ramon Foster and Maurkice Pouncey, didn't play with its usual edge in the running game.

One reason to be concerned: Nothing thwarts the Steelers' plans for blanket pass coverage quite like fringe roster guys Nick Williams and Reggie Davis combining for 112 first-half receiving yards. Veteran corner Ross Cockrellgot beat on a Davis go route for 44 yards. The pass coverage should be at least slightly better this season, and one preseason game won't affect those plans. But Sunday wasn't exactly the grand statement that 2017 will be much different. The second unit fared better, though against lesser competition.

That guy could start: Outside linebacker Anthony Chickillo wants to be known for more than his August camp flashes. Right now he's a backup. That likely won't change with the Bud Dupree-James Harrison-T.J. Watt trio in place. But Chickillo's two sacks Sunday reminded everyone that he keeps improving.

Rookie watch: After limited but promising camp work, the Steelers were eager to see Conner in game action. He put together a solid outing after a sluggish start that included two dropped passes on third downs. Conner rushed for 13 yards on his first five carries (11 of which came on a third-and-long) but started to use his power up the middle or off the edge, finishing with 98 yards on 20 carries. Conner can be too eager to bounce outside and needs to show more reliability as a pass-catcher, but overall he acquitted himself well with a bigger-than-expected workload. He seemed to gain strength as the game progressed, which is a good sign.

Quiet re-introduction: Martavis Bryant was pumped about his first game action in 19 months. He'll have big moments this season, but those will have to wait. Bryant finished with 20 yards on two catches, along with a fumble out of bounds on a reverse play. Bryant and Dobbs connected on a 23-yarder down the sideline but that was the only firework. Bryant was on a pitch count and didn't have Big Ben, so no worries here.

Don't sleep on Trey: Trey Williams, who showed good open-field wiggle in training camp, burst through a well-blocked seam for a 64-yard punt return touchdown. Williams doesn't have an inside track on a running back job but might just make things interesting.

Steelers put an exclamation point on their irritation with Le'Veon Bell

By Mark Madden

http://www.timesonline.com/sports/

August 20, 2017

The minute Le’Veon Bell got franchised, the end was written in stone: Bell would wait almost until preseason’s end to sign his tender and report, giving him just enough time to get ready for the Sept. 10 opener.

That’s still going to be the conclusion.

But there have been a few twists.

Bell has every right to delay his arrival. The Steelers exercised their end of the franchise option. Now Bell is exploiting his. If the Steelers wanted different, they should have worked out the long-term contract Bell desired.

That’s one of the twists: The Steelers say they did.

It was revealed Friday -- in a story obviously leaked by the Steelers -- that Bell’s agent, Adisa Bakari, allegedly agreed to a five-year deal worth $60 million, but Bell nixed it. Bell would reportedly have received $30 million over the pact’s first two seasons. (No word on how much money was guaranteed. That’s the key number.)

That narrative has some holes in it.

Bakari would not have agreed to a contract without first consulting Bell. No agent would.

Perhaps Bakari recommended Bell take the deal. That’s very different.

This story went public as an exclamation point to the Steelers getting increasingly antsy about Bell’s prolonged absence this preseason, something the Steelers seem illogically able to accept. It was always going to happen.

Owner Art Rooney and GM Kevin Colbert have whined about Bell not being there, and a few players have chimed in, too.

Would the Steelers lie about what Bell’s agent did?

Is Bruce Arians still retired?

Bakari says he never agreed to any deal. So it’s he-said, he-said. But this is a clear attempt by the Steelers to turn public sentiment against Bell.

Bell seems determined to stick to his demand for $15 million per season, memorably first negotiated in one of Bell’s really awful rap songs: “I’m at the top, and if not, I’m the closest. I’m a need 15 a year and they know this.”

I’m a throw up now.

Can Bell really ever make $15 million per?

He might come close next season. Given Bell’s demands and the growing bad blood, it seems increasingly possible that the Steelers might again franchise Bell in 2018, paying him over $14 million and then propelling Bell into free agency.

The Steelers really like James Conner, the rookie out of Pitt.

Bell’s versatility makes him the prototype for the running back position in today’s NFL. But Conner is the prototype for what the Steelers prefer a back to be: Big and bruising.

At 6-foot-2, 229 pounds, Conner invokes Jerome Bettis Lite. All Conner needs is a catchy nickname.

Despite the histrionics, this episode will conclude like it was always going to: Bell reports just in time to start the opener.

Unless Bell doesn’t start the opener.

The Steelers play at Cleveland in Week 1. Cleveland will be the AFC Central’s doormat and one of the NFL’s worst teams.

It would be just like Mike Tomlin, the Steelers’ coach, to say that Conner had “gone through the process” (or some such drivel) and start him at Cleveland. The Browns are bad, so a point could be made

Whatever that point might be.

Problem is, Tomlin’s Steelers too often lose to bad teams.

All this is a boon to the sports-talk business. If Bell starts poorly, Yinzer Nation goes insane and my industry gets a second helping.

None of this will hurt the Steelers’ season. Unless it does.

The real upshot occurs after the 2018 season, when Bell quits the Steelers and moves on. But his wheels will likely have fallen off by then.

Given Bell’s history of injuries and drug suspensions, that was probably the Steelers’ plan all along.

Mark Madden hosts a radio show 3-6 p.m. weekdays on WXDX-FM (105.9).