2 short-handed goals earn win over Montreal; Malkin wraps up NHL scoring title

Sunday, April 12, 2009
By Dave Molinari, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/


Paul Chiasson/Associated Press
Evgeni Malkin celebrates his first-period goal that proves to be the icing on his first scoring title.

MONTREAL -- The Penguins have made a habit of winning NHL scoring championships during the past couple of decades.

Facing Philadelphia in the Stanley Cup playoffs is starting to become part of their routine, too.

Evgeni Malkin scored their first goal in a 3-1 victory against Montreal at the Bell Centre to secure his first Art Ross Trophy and the franchise's 13th in the past 21 years as the Penguins assured themselves of a first-round matchup with the Flyers, one of their most fierce rivals.

"Two teams that know each other pretty well," Penguins center Sidney Crosby said.

Yeah, and that don't care for each other even a little bit.

Which team will have home-ice advantage in the opening round will be determined by the outcome of Philadelphia's game against the New York Rangers at the Wachovia Center today.

If the Flyers win -- or simply take the game past regulation -- they will have home ice against the Penguins. If not, the Penguins will get it by virtue of going 4-2 against the Flyers during the regular season.

Should Philadelphia end up with home ice, Game 1 at the Wachovia Center likely will be Thursday, because a Fleetwood Mac concert is scheduled there Wednesday night.

The Penguins defeated Philadelphia in five games in the Eastern Conference final last spring.

That series wasn't nearly as competitive as the NHL scoring race, which Malkin finally won with 113 points, three more than Washington left winger Alex Ovechkin.

"It feels great," Malkin said.

Crosby has all but formally clinched third in the scoring race.
He finished with 103 points, while Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk, who is fourth, has 97 going into the Red Wings' final game today in Chicago.

Los Angeles, with three scoring titles by Wayne Gretzky, is the only franchise with more than one during the 21 seasons when the Penguins have won 13. Their domination includes six by Mario Lemieux, five by Jaromir Jagr and one each by Malkin and Crosby.


Graham Hughes/Associated Press

Maxime Talbot beats Montreal goalie Carey Price for the go-ahead goal in the third period last night in Montreal.

The Penguins (45-28-9) finished with 99 points, the sixth-highest total in franchise history.

This was, not surprisingly, the only one of those 45 victories they earned by virtue of scoring two short-handed goals during the same penalty.

What made that feat all the more remarkable was that until Max Talbot and Kris Letang scored during a 55-second span while Brooks Orpik was serving a cross-checking minor midway through the third period, Canadiens goalie Carey Price had been almost unbeatable.

Aside from a rebound that Malkin backhanded between his legs 69 seconds into the game, Price had turned aside everything the Penguins threw at him.

That included a sensational glove save on Matt Cooke at 18:02 of the second period and a superb stop on Bill Guerin from inside the right circle 17.4 seconds before the second intermission.

"He played well," Cooke said. "It certainly wasn't his fault [that Montreal lost]."

Price's counterpart, Marc-Andre Fleury, had a pretty decent night of his own, rejecting 29 of 30 shots. The only one to elude him was a screen shot from the left point by Roman Hamrlik at 17:29 of the opening period.

That was the last goal by either team until 9:46 of the third, when Talbot -- who had a short-handed goal in the first period disallowed because he knocked it in with a high stick -- converted a Pascal Dupuis set up on what amounted to a two-on-zero break.

Talbot's goal was the last one the Penguins would need, but Letang removed any doubt about the outcome by beating Price from the outer edge of the left circle at 10:41, one second before Orpik was to return.

"We've been doing great killing penalties with the new system," Letang said. "When you see an opportunity, you jump into the play, and that's what happened."

There's something else of note that happened over the past eight weeks: The Penguins went 18-4-3 in the 25 games since Dan Bylsma replaced Michel Therrien as coach.

"They responded and came back from a desperate situation, a dire situation," Bylsma said.

And, in the process, earned the right to start the playoffs with a best-of-seven series that figures to fairly crackle with passion and intensity.

"It's a good rivalry," Talbot said. "And it's going to be a great series."

Dave Molinari can be reached at dmolinari@post-gazette.com.
First published on April 12, 2009 at 12:00 am

50 years and counting: Bucs to honor Blass

By Karen Price, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/
Sunday, April 12, 2009

Steve Blass never thought when he started his career pitching for the Pirates that 50 years later he'd still be with the organization.

To be fair, Blass was 18 years old and just out of high school.

He didn't think 50 minutes ahead in life, let alone 50 years.

"You have no idea, no sense of time or the passage of time when you're 18," Blass said. "You think you're going to live forever, never get old, none of that stuff. All I knew was that I wanted to play baseball and the Pirates gave me that chance."

Monday, the Pirates will honor Blass' 50th season with the team at the home opener against the Houston Astros. Pregame ceremonies begin at 12:50 p.m., when Blass, accompanied by family and close friends, will be presented with a gift, address the crowd and watch a video tribute.

Then, almost 35 years to the day since his arm betrayed him for the last time in the Major Leagues, Blass will throw out the first pitch to his 1971 World Series-winning battery mate Manny Sanguillen.

"So many things have happened (since my last game on April 18, 1974), but in retrospectm, it just sometimes seems like a flash, like it went by in an hour," Blass said. "Sometimes, it seems like it was so long ago I never did any of those things."

Oh, but he did, and the numbers still impress.

Blass went 103-76 in his 10-year career with 78 of those wins coming between 1968 and 1972. He was a 1972 All-Star, and in 1971, registered two complete-game wins in the World Series against the Baltimore Orioles, allowing just seven hits in 18 innings with a 1.00 ERA.

The second game was Game 7, and he is still the last NL pitcher to throw a complete game in Game 7 of a World Series.

Then, his career suddenly, inexplicably and famously went off the rails in 1972 when Blass' control abandoned him. In his last game — and his only game in 1974 — the once-clutch pitcher allowed five hits and eight runs, walked seven and struck out two in five innings, and that was that.


10/7/72-Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-Pirates Steve Blass fires first pitch of National League play-off, 10/7, to Reds' Pete Rose. Rose flied out. Catcher is Manny Sanguillen. Umpire is Augie Donatelli.

Blass, 66, remained involved with the team through appearances, speaking engagements and clinics and started working with Bob Prince on the broadcast team in 1983. These days, Blass still broadcasts home games and is involved with the Pirates Caravan, the alumni group and fantasy camp.

If it weren't for his involvement in the fantasy camp, Blass might not be throwing out the first pitch tomorrow.

It was there, 10 years ago, Blass finally threw the ball again.

First, it was just to play catch with Bob Walk. Then, he got on the mound and threw to Pirates Triple-A manager Trent Jewett. Next, he tried it with a batter — a psychologist named Richard Crowley, who was the one who encouraged Blass to throw again in the first place — and then, finally, a fantasy camp participant.

He's been pitching at the camps ever since.

"I absolutely treasure it," he said of time spent throwing the ball. "I hadn't touched a ball in over 20 years and I rediscovered the joy of throwing the ball again. I'd missed it terribly and it was wonderful.

"It became the realization of a fantasy of mine."

Working only home games has allowed Blass more time for luxuries such as a leisurely drive back from spring training in Florida with his wife, Karen, playing golf along the way and reconnecting with old teammates, albeit under less-than-ideal circumstances.

On Thursday, Blass represented the Pirates by throwing out the first pitch at BB&T Coastal Field in Myrtle Beach, S.C., as the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (A-Atlanta Braves) honored former pitching coach — and former Blass teammate — Bruce Dal Canton, who died last fall.

The rest of the time is spent happily indulging the every whim of his five grandchildren, ages 21 and 18 who live in Connecticut, and ages 15, 5 and 4 in Pittsburgh.

"They own their grandfather and they abuse that ownership terribly," Blass said. "And I enjoy every minute of it."

Blass-ic memories

Steve Blass' top five Pirates memories, in no particular order (except, maybe, the first)

Game 7 of the 1971 World Series: Blass still vividly remembers every detail about the game in which the Pirates beat the Baltimore Orioles, 2-1, to win their fourth World Series title. Blass remains the last NL pitcher to throw a complete game in Game 7 of the World Series. "I can tell you every pitch," he said.

Signing his first professional contract out of high school on June 23, 1960: The contract was for one year, paying a $4,000 bonus and $250 a month. "I thought I was stealing," Blass said.

First major-league game, May 10, 1964: "That's a day every major-leaguer can remember. You can remember what temperature it was, what everyone wore, because that's the day you dream about."

First major-league win, May 13, 1964: "I can tell you chapter and verse about that," he said. "It was in Dodger Stadium, mecca of baseball and pitching. There were 50,000 people there and I'm from a town of 800. I went to warm up and said, 'What in God's name am I doing out here?' And I was playing against Don Drysdale. It was a dream come true."

Playing in the 1972 All-Star Game: "I pitched in the third inning, NBC was broadcasting the game and they had technical difficulties so the third inning was not on TV," Blass said. "I had trouble convincing my parents I pitched. They said, 'Well we heard about it but we didn't see it because it wasn't on TV. They had technical difficulties.' I said, 'You think they did? I had to pitch against all those American League batters!'" The AL scored only one run in the third, and the NL won, 4-3.


Quotable Blass

"He should have been better, pitching on 3,195 days rest."

On Bucs replacement player Jimmy Boudreau in 1995, his first professional appearance since 1986


"It was going to the right."

On why Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis stayed seated during a wave at a Pirates-Dodgers game in Los Angeles


"Think about the numbers Maz would have put up if he'd played on artificial turf and wouldn't have had all those bad hops. They might have had to put him into the Hall of Fame five years before he retired."

On former teammate Bill Mazeroski


"People say my career got cut short. I say wait a minute, I achieved far more than I ever dreamed. ... There are no regrets on this end."

On himself

Malkin aims for scoring title

By Joe Starkey, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/
Saturday, April 11, 2009

Penguins center Evgeni Malkin continues to insist that winning the scoring title isn't that important to him.

Teammate Brooks Orpik knows better.

"I don't care how many times he tells the media he's not worried about it," Orpik said. "I know he does put the team first, but he is a really competitive guy, and it's definitely something he's been after all year. That's for sure."

Malkin, with 112 points, holds a four-point lead over Washington's Alex Ovechkin going into tonight's regular-season finale at Montreal. The Capitals also finish their season tonight at Florida.

Ovechkin holds the tie-breaker because he has more goals (55 to 34), but Malkin is confident.

"I feel good," he said Thursday, after recording two assists in a 6-1 victory over the New York Islanders. "One game left."

Ovechkin had no points in a 4-2 win over Tampa Bay on Thursday. Malkin was asked how quickly someone informed him of Ovechkin's scoreless night.

"A few people told me already," he said, 15 minutes after the end of the Penguins' game.

As it turned out, FSN Pittsburgh's Dan Potash told Malkin immediately after the latter came off the ice for a post-game interview. Soon after, goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury informed Malkin of the news.

The Penguins have pretty much cornered the market on scoring titles. If Malkin holds on, he will give them their 13th Art Ross Trophy in the past 21 years.

No team can match the Penguins' 12 scoring titles since the NHL expansion of 1967-68. The Boston Bruins and Edmonton Oilers are tied for second with seven apiece.

Three Penguins players - Mario Lemieux (six), Jaromir Jagr (five) and Sidney Crosby (one) - have accounted for those 12 titles.

"I'd love to see Geno win it," Crosby said. "We want to play well as a team, and hopefully get it for him."

The Penguins still have a chance to gain home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs, as well, if they finish ahead of Carolina and Philadelphia. The three teams are tied with 97 points.

The Flyers have two games left - this afternoon at the New York Islanders and Sunday at home against the New York Rangers. They are guaranteed to finish ahead of the Penguins if they earn three of four points.

Carolina plays at New Jersey this afternoon. They will finish ahead of the Penguins, no matter what, if they win, because the first tie-breaker is victories, and Carolina has one more than the Penguins.

The Penguins are assured of playing one of the following teams in the first round - New Jersey, Carolina or Philadelphia.

Meanwhile, players view the scoring title as more than merely an individual accomplishment.

"It's good for morale," winger Bill Guerin said. "Everybody's had a hand in it in some way. Nobody plays the game alone. It's something special - and when you look at it, it's incredible the amount of scoring titles they've had here."

Crosby, who is third in the NHL with 103 points, says everybody has it in the back of his mind to try to win the title for Malkin.

That is why, the way Orpik saw it, defenseman Sergei Gonchar passed up a shot on the power play the other night in order to move the puck to Malkin.

Crosby has a similar mindset, though nobody wants to admit it.

"Maybe you give (Malkin) a little bit of an extra look, an extra touch here and there," Crosby said. "But for the most part, you want to play the same way and keep everything regular."

Nothing is more regular than the Penguins winning scoring championships.

My Night With The Stars—Baseball Stars, That Is

View From Lodi, CA...Pittsburgh, PA:

By Joe Guzzardi
http://www.vdare.com/
April 09, 2009

During the days leading up to Major League Baseball’s 2009 opening day, ESPN broadcast a feature displaying amazing sport collectors’ memorabilia. Featured were autographed Babe Ruth baseballs, bats used in historic games and a love letter from Marilyn Monroe to Joe DiMaggio tucked inside the Yankee Clipper’s wallet.

All of it is great stuff—the best that money can buy. But what does it mean to the owner who never met Ruth, Monroe or DiMaggio?

Right this instant, anyone who has between $5,000 and $15,000 can go on eBay to purchase Ruth-signed items. They’re common. As baseball historians know, Ruth graciously signed everything put in front of him.

Since I moved to Pittsburgh, however, I’ve gathered several Pirate autographs from outstanding players on World Series championship teams. And along with them I have great stories to tell.

Every October 13, fans and former stars gather at what remains of the Forbes Field wall (see it here.) to listen to a radio re-broadcast in real time of Bill Mazeroski’s dramatic bottom of the ninth 1960 game winning homerun (See clip here.) that carried the Pirates to victory over the heavily favorite and hated New York Yankees.

I told Elroy Face, a key relief pitcher, that when I attended the University of Pittsburgh during those years, my roommate and I snuck into the bleachers during the seventh inning after the ticket-taker had left. In those late innings Face, now nearly 80, shut the opposition down cold.

Bob Friend, a Pirate pitching stalwart, and I had a lively conversation about the modern day “pitch count” mania that takes starters out of the game around the sixth inning. Friend called it the stupidest thing he’d ever heard of.

Famous Pirate broadcaster and former Bucco pitcher Nellie King was there. And well he should have been. King called the last games ever played at Forbes Field, a doubleheader against the Chicago Cubs with both ends won by the Pirates.

During the fifth inning, King announced: “40, 918 present here at Forbes Field. Lady Forbes. We’ll close her down today.”

Then, last week, I attended a get-together for diehards held at the Roberto Clemente Museum.

The 1960 National League batting champion, Most Valuable Player and former Pirate captain Dick Groat and I talked about Pitt basketball. Groat, an All-American from Duke University, has done the Pitt radio color commentary for 30 years and still says that “basketball is the sport he played best.”[Ex-Duke Star Groat Is Panther at Heart, by Ray Fittipaldo, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, December 18, 2007]

Left-handed pitcher Grant Jackson prides himself on being one of the fastest working starters in baseball history. Jackson recounted a game in Montreal’s old Jarry Park Stadium where he took care of business in 1:36, about the time it takes to play five innings today.

None of these Pirates will ever be in the Hall of Fame. But they were among the most outstanding players of their era.

Face’s 1959 single season 18-1 record is the best winning percentage ever.
At various times during his career the durable Friend, who never missed a start, won twenty games and led the league in Earned Run Average. Over sixteen seasons, Friend won 197 games for the Pirates, then consistently an eighth place finisher in an eight-team league. With the Yankees, Friend would have won 300.

Jackson, the winner of the 1979 World Series seventh game against the Baltimore Orioles, was at his toughest during the post-season where he went 3-0.

As for shortstop Groat, in 1952 he went straight from the Duke campus to the Pirate starting line up where he got two hits in his first game. Groat appeared in five All Star games. The consensus among Groat’s peers is that he was the era’s toughest clutch player.

Of course, all the Pirates I met signed for me. In fact, they signed multiple times—autographing several of the old yearbooks, programs and magazines that I have amassed over the years.

More importantly, they gave their time bigheartedly. I never doubted that if I had wanted to reminisce longer, they would have been happy to join me.

Groat, Friend, Face and Jackson’s autographs will never bring thousands at auction. They will never be elected to Cooperstown.

But they’ve given me wonderful tales to share with my friends. And they all will always be in my personal Hall of Fame.

Joe Guzzardi [email him] is a California native who recently fled the state because of over-immigration, over-population and a rapidly deteriorating quality of life. He has moved to Pittsburgh, PA where the air is clean and the growth rate stable. A long-time instructor in English at the Lodi Adult School, Guzzardi has been writing a weekly column since 1988. It currently appears in the Lodi News-Sentinel.

Pirates lack thump, and that'll hurt

Friday, April 10, 2009
By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/

ST. LOUIS - APRIL 9: Nate McClouth #13 of the Pittsburgh Pirates breaks his bat hitting against the St. Louis Cardinals on April 9, 2009 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri. The Cardinals beat the Pirates 2-1. (Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

ST. LOUIS -- The good was very good in the Pirates' season-opening, four-game split with the St. Louis Cardinals. Nyjer Morgan's speed and production at the top of the lineup and in left field. Freddy Sanchez's and Jack Wilson's at-bats, at least before they ran into Cardinals starter Chris Carpenter in the 2-1 loss yesterday. "Unbelievable ... filthy ... unreal," Sanchez called him afterward. The resolve the team showed, not just scoring four runs in the ninth inning to win, almost unbelievably, the first game, but hanging in until the bitter end yesterday despite getting just one hit. "That's the makeup of this club," manager John Russell said. Two saves in two chances for hammer Matt Capps. And, most significant, three impressive outings out of four by the starting pitchers, including the one yesterday by tough-luck loser Ross Ohlendorf.

But the bad also was very bad. The Nos. 3 and 4 hitters -- Nate McLouth and Ryan Doumit -- barely hit a lick. Would you believe a combined 3 for 30 with four RBIs? That's not so much of a concern, but the fact that the LaRoche boys -- first baseman Adam and third baseman Andy -- also didn't hit is a huge worry. Try 2 for 21. There were just two Pirates' home runs, one from McLouth -- his only hit -- and an unexpected one from Sanchez.
The front end of the bullpen made you hold your breath, just as you figured it would. And there was that really lousy start by Ian Snell in game two.

Four days of baseball, and I saw enough to make a confident prediction for the Pirates' season. I apologize for not getting around to it before, you know, the season actually started.

72-90.

Please, hold those Mr. Negativity e-mails. I was thinking 67-95 before the St. Louis series.

"I thought it was a good opening series for us," Sanchez said before the Pirates departed Busch Stadium for Cincinnati and a weekend series leading up to the PNC Park opener Monday. "Obviously, it would have been nice to win it. But I thought our pitchers threw great. If we can get pitching like that every night, we're going to win a lot of games."

Ohlendorf's start was encouraging, likely the best thing that happened in the four games. If his start wasn't, then Zach Duke's in game three was.
Those guys -- along with Jeff Karstens, who gets the ball tonight in Cincinnati -- have to be able to get the team to the sixth or seven inning and past the atrocious middle relievers on a consistent basis. Opening-game starter Paul Maholm will do that. But Snell, who had a hideous line of 9 hits, 8 runs, 2 home runs and 3 walks in four innings in the loss Tuesday night? I have big doubts. Certainly, he has the stuff to shut out the Reds in his next start Sunday afternoon. But he also might be mentally weak enough to give up eight more runs. Who can tell for sure?

Even if the starters pitch well -- and that's far, far from a given -- the Pirates might not have enough offense to end their run of 16 losing seasons.
McLouth and Doumit will start to hit, there's no doubt. Sanchez and Wilson -- a combined 14 for 34 here with 8 RBIs -- should continue to hit now that they're healthy again after tough injury years last season. And it's nice to think the hyper Morgan will build on his 6-for-19, 4-RBI start.
But where's the thump going to come from?

If it's true what they say about chicks digging the long ball, the Pirates could be the least-loved team in baseball.

Really, who, other than McLouth and Doumit, are going to hit home runs?
Adam LaRoche, you say? Maybe, but will he do it before June? Or will he do it in August for another team after the Pirates dump him and his big contract?

On second thought, go ahead and make that prediction 67-95.

And let the e-mails begin.

Ron Cook can be reached at rcook@post-gazette.com. More articles by this author
First published on April 10, 2009 at 12:00 am

Joining Steelers' ownership excites Stallworth

By Scott Brown, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/
Thursday, April 9, 2009

As his Super Bowl exploits attest, John Stallworth has a knack for rising to the occasion. Therefore, it is not surprising that Dan and Art Rooney II approached Stallworth as they were trying to keep the Steelers in the only family that has ever owned the franchise.

Their meeting with Stallworth last November led to the Pro Football Hall of Famer becoming the most high-profile member of the investment group the Rooneys are putting together, as they restructure ownership to comply with NFL rules.

The two sides are working out details, but Stallworth told the Tribune-Review he officially expects to become a limited Steelers partner within the next two months.

"I could not be more excited about the opportunity," said Stallworth, who became a successful businessman after playing for the Steelers from 1974-87. "Didn't see it coming. I thought about it, I prayed about it and talked to my wife, and we thought it would be a good opportunity."

Stallworth first talked about the opportunity with the Rooneys when he returned to Pittsburgh for the Steelers' Nov. 9 game against the Indianapolis Colts. When Dan and Art Rooney II announced the addition of Stallworth to their ownership group near the end of March, it did not come as a surprise to his former teammates.

"Trust me, Dan doesn't just ask anybody to be an owner," said former Steelers safety Donnie Shell, who is close friends with Stallworth. "He knows we came in and loved that organization."

His desire to keep the Steelers in the Rooney family -- Dan and Art II are buying some or all of the shares that Dan's four younger brothers have in the team -- played a significant part in Stallworth agreeing to join the new ownership group.

"I think that's in the best interests of the Steelers," Stallworth said, "and certainly in the best interests for the city of Pittsburgh and the team staying a part of the city."

Stallworth is one of the most beloved players in Steelers history in part because of his heroics in two of the four Super Bowls the team won in the late 1970s. Stallworth had more than 100 yards receiving in victories over the Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Rams, and his iconic touchdown catch against the latter gave the Steelers the lead for good in Super Bowl XIV.

Stallworth is still prominent in the Steelers' record books and leads the team with 25 career 100-yard receiving games.

Stallworth had been the president and CEO of Madison Research Corp., in Huntsville, Ala., before selling the technology company in 2006. He is currently a partner in Genesis II, which manages charitable organizations started by Stallworth and various business associates.

His new position with the Steelers might compel Stallworth to attend more home games, but he said he doesn't expect to an active role as far as running the team.

"No, no, no. I'm an investor," Stallworth said. "The day-to-day, year-to-year management of the Steelers will stay with the Rooneys."

Note: University of North Carolina tight end Richard Quinn became the latest college prospect to visit the Steelers when he met with coaches Wednesday at the team's South Side practice facility. The 6-foot-4, 260-pound Quinn played sparingly at North Carolina and had only 12 catches for 124 yards and a pair of touchdowns during his career.

Doumit's bat key to year

Thursday, April 09, 2009
By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/

ST. LOUIS -- This was before the game against the St. Louis Cardinals last night, at the exact moment catcher Ryan Doumit took offense to the suggestion that the Pirates' offense just might be offensive this season.

You know, offensive in the worst kind of way.

"I'm not worried about us scoring runs," Doumit fairly growled. "Absolutely, we're going to score runs."

So they did.

Seven of 'em in a 7-4 win.

First, the Pirates did it with small ball -- tiny ball, actually. They needed just about all of their 10 singles, 2 doubles and 2 walks in the first five innings to scratch out their first five runs. Then in the sixth inning, center fielder Nate McLouth finally provided a little pop with a two-run home run, his first hit of the season in his 13th plate appearance.

You ask me, that big fly was the best part of the night.

I'm thinking we might not see enough of those from the Pirates over the long haul.

Anyhow, those seven runs made for some fun at Busch Stadium for the visiting club, particularly for second baseman Freddy Sanchez and shortstop Jack Wilson, who each had four hits, for right fielder Brandon Moss, who had three, and for Doumit, whose single and double were his first two hits of the year. Don't look now, but the Pirates are off to a better start than just about anyone could have imagined. If I hadn't watched with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe that they took two of three from the Cardinals. And here's even better news: They have a chance to turn it into a really wonderful opening trip by making it three of four this afternoon.

Oh, for seven runs again.

I'm not holding my breath, though.

I don't quite share Doumit's belief than the Pirates' hitters can do that sort of thing on a consistent basis. I look at the lineup -- without Jason Bay and Xavier Nady from a year ago -- and see very little thump, at least not enough to carry a weak pitching staff that figures to give up a lot of runs.

No team can win consistently with the kind of bloops and infield hits that the Pirates had last night.

Of course, Doumit disagreed.

The offense won't be a problem, he promised. He mentioned McLouth's great year last season and sees no reason why he can't repeat it. (Nor do I). He talked about getting the normal production from first baseman Adam LaRoche. (It would be nice if some came before June). He spoke of Moss and third baseman Andy LaRoche "getting better and doing what they did in the minor leagues." (Hey, Moss had three hits last night, didn't he?). And he said Wilson and Sanchez "always are going to be Jack and Freddy." (No argument here).

What?

You expected Doumit to say the Pirates are going to stink again?

That's my line.

I'm not quite prepared to go there this morning -- not after this sweet win -- but I will tell you this: The Pirates are going to be offensively challenged in a frightful way if their big catcher doesn't have a big, big year.

A monster year, actually.

That seems like too much to ask, doesn't it?

Nate McLouth is congratulated by third base coach Tony Beasley while rounding the bases on a two-run home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday, April 8, 2009, in St. Louis.(AP)

Don't get me wrong. I'm a huge Doumit fan. Pirates management has made a lot of boneheaded personnel decisions during the 16 years of losing, but it made a good one when it signed him to a contract that could keep him in Pittsburgh at least through the 2013 season and will pay him a guaranteed $11.5 million and as much as $27 million. Switch-hitting catchers with pop are so rare.

If Doumit stays healthy -- he did last season for the first time in his big-league career and responded nicely with a .318 average, 15 home runs and 69 RBIs -- he will give the Pirates their money's worth.

But a monster year?

Maybe that wouldn't be too much to expect if Doumit played first base or in the outfield. But he's the catcher and, as such, he not only has to take the daily beating that goes with that difficult defensive job, but he also has to spend a lot of energy trying to coax what appears to be a shaky rotation -- Paul Maholm aside -- and a worse front end of the bullpen through six or seven innings every night.

Good luck to Doumit with that.

Good luck to him having anything left to hit with after a while.

Good luck to the Pirates if Doumit doesn't hold up and put up huge numbers.

Ron Cook can be reached at rcook@post-gazette.com. More articles by this author
First published on April 9, 2009 at 12:00 am

Andy LaRoche faces pressure

Wednesday, April 08, 2009
By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/


Tom Gannam/Associated Press

St. Louis' Yadier Molina dives into third base with a triple in the second inning as the ball caroms away from Pirates third baseman Andy LaRoche.

ST. LOUIS -- The man who knows Andy LaRoche best in the Pirates' clubhouse -- that would be his big brother, Adam -- insists the kid is mentally tough. I'm thinking we're going to find out just how tough real soon.

There is no one on the team under more pressure than Andy LaRoche, and it seems to mount a little more each day as he continues to struggle under Pittsburgh's relentless watch. Let us count the reasons:

One -- we'll get the obvious out of the way right here -- LaRoche has to hit and field well for the Pirates to have any chance to end their constant losing. The third base job is his at the moment, but general manager Neal Huntington hinted late in spring training that he won't keep it long without the appropriate production. If that was meant to inspire LaRoche, it didn't work. He has gone 0 for 6 in the first two games against the St. Louis Cardinals and dropped a routine popup last night that led to two unearned runs in a 9-3 loss. It was his third error -- and there are still 160 games to go!

Two, LaRoche still is trying to fit into a clubhouse and a city that adored Jason Bay, the player the Pirates traded last summer to get him, outfielder Brandon Moss and pitchers Craig Hansen and Bryan Morris. It's always tough for a young guy to establish himself in the big leagues, but it's especially brutal under those circumstances.

And three, LaRoche still must show those scrutinizing Pittsburgh eyes that he can play. You have your doubts, don't you? Of course, you have doubts. It's not just that dropped popup.

LaRoche has started this season the way he ended the last one, which is to say he has been awful. In the opener against the Cardinals Monday, he struck out with the bases loaded, didn't get a hit in three at-bats and booted two groundballs, the first leading to two St. Louis runs. That mental toughness would have been challenged immediately if the Pirates hadn't pulled out an unlikely 6-4 win with four ninth-inning runs.

Other than that, there's no pressure on LaRoche.

It's a good thing the kid has someone he can lean on.

"I've tried to get him to see the big picture and not stress on the everyday ups and downs," Adam LaRoche was saying yesterday before the game. He's the Pirates' first baseman and, at 29, is four years older than his brother.

"Young guys don't realize how many games there are ahead. They look at every game like it's their last game and feel like they have to carry the team. They try to do too much and, then when they struggle, they get a little timid. Very few young guys don't go through that. The only ones who don't go through it are the really great ones.

"You've just got to keep fighting through it."

It's not as if Andy LaRoche didn't fight the good fight last season. He tried his best, you know? But every time he punched, the game punched back harder. His year started on the Los Angeles Dodgers' disabled list because of right thumb surgery. It ended with him having two horrible months for the Pirates when he hit .152 in 49 games, endured hitless streaks of 27, 21 and 16 at-bats, had more strikeouts (30) than hits (25) and made nine errors.

"It seemed like there were 20 defenders in the field when I hit," LaRoche said. "I couldn't ever even sneak one through."

That's why spring training was so significant for LaRoche. He showed a little of that mental toughness by hitting .333 with a couple of home runs in 51 at-bats.

"That was important for me," he said. "I needed to get a little of the confidence back that I started to lose last season."

Now, LaRoche needs to do something in the games that count.

Not so much to justify the Bay trade. "My point to him is he's not here to replace Jason," Adam LaRoche said. "That's my job, Jack Wilson's job, the guys who have been here, their jobs. 'You just have to be you,' I told him. 'Obviously, they liked something about you to trade for you. Just do what you can do. Be you.' "

Not to show Pittsburgh. "They haven't seen me yet," Andy LaRoche said. "Not even close. But it's going to come."

Not even to hold on to his job, which could go to veteran Ramon Vazquez in the short term or maybe former No. 1 pick Neil Walker later in the season. "You can't let that get in your head," big bro said. "If you're at the plate or at third base and it's in the back of your mind what the general manager or the manager or the media or the fans are thinking, you're done."

No, Andy LaRoche needs to have some success soon for Andy LaRoche.

"I feel good, comfortable," he said. "I know what I'm capable of doing. Given a full season, the numbers will be there."

That's a nice thought.

Baseball will eat its young that are weak and unproductive.

The LaRoche kid had better be mentally tough.

Ron Cook can be reached at rcook@post-gazette.com. More articles by this author
First published on April 8, 2009 at 12:00 am

Frattare at peace on Opening Day

By Joe Starkey, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/
Tuesday, April 7, 2009

It is 10:23 a.m. Monday, Opening Day of the Pirates' 2009 season, but Lanny Frattare is nowhere near Busch Stadium in St. Louis, where the first pitch is scheduled for 4:15 p.m.

Rather, he is strolling along a sidewalk on the bucolic campus of Waynesburg University, eager to greet a visiting reporter.

In his right hand, Frattare waves a lit, peach-flavored cigar.

On his left wrist, he wears a silver bracelet inscribed with his sobriety date: "November 23, 2008."


Lanny Frattare sits with Brooklyn, his daughter's pt-bll mix, in his Collier Twp. home Monday shortly before the Pirates opened the 2009 season in St. Louis.
Christopher Horner/Tribune-Review

The reporter immediately notes that Frattare seems more relaxed than usual. Frattare affirms the observation -- but make no mistake, the calm appeared only after a heavy storm.

Frattare's life slid out of control six months ago.

On Oct. 1, with one year left on his contract, Frattare retired after 33 years as a Pirates broadcaster (he says the decision was his, unpressured). Though he believed his performance had been slipping, he wondered if he'd done the right thing. He feared for his future.

And he started drinking heavily. Frattare had always enjoyed a few drinks after games. Now, he sank deep into his cups.

"I started to abuse alcohol," says Frattare, 61. "I never was someone who could just sip alcohol. But after I stepped away (from baseball), I had all this free time. I found myself drinking all the time."

Luckily for Frattare, his daughter, Megan, 27, had a front-row seat to his decline. The two live together in Collier Township.

Unbeknownst to her father, Megan arranged an intervention in which she and her brother, David, 34, and their mother -- Frattare's ex-wife, Liz Frattare -- would confront him.

On the Sunday morning of Nov. 23, Frattare and his son went to see the latest James Bond movie. When they returned, the intervention commenced. A stunned Frattare agreed to get help. Megan had reserved a spot for him at Glenbeigh, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center in northeast Ohio, near Ashtabula.

"I checked in at 6 o'clock that night," Frattare says. "I went into it scared to death, but after a day or two I knew I'd done the right thing."

During his two-week stay, Frattare -- who says he has continued a strict recovery program -- did a lot of praying. One of his frequent prayers went like this: "God, where do you want me to be next?"

One place, apparently, was Waynesburg, a private Christian school of 2,500 students an hour southwest of Pittsburgh. Frattare will begin teaching classes in August. He applied for the athletic director's job at Upper St. Clair High School, but when he was looking at a newspaper ad for that job, he spotted next to it an ad for a teaching position at Waynesburg.

Frattare was hired as an "assistant professor." He will teach four courses - sportscasting, script writing, public speaking and a critique course - and work as a special assistant in university relations. Never one to under-prepare, he rises each morning at 6 and drives to school to observe and mingle and refine his course outlines. His office is located in a brick A-frame house in the middle of campus.

Sitting in that office, Frattare looks downright professorial. He wears a button-down shirt under his sweater and peers through those familiar Frattare eyeglasses. The silver bracelet on his wrist - the one bearing his sobriety date -- was a gift from his family.

Later in the day, Frattare is scheduled to coach the Bishop Canevin junior varsity baseball team in its game at Northgate (the game would be postponed). He took that job, on a volunteer basis, after a tip from his godson, Patrick Leyland, a junior catcher at Canevin and the son of Frattare's good friend, former Pirates manager Jim Leyland.

Staying so busy has helped Frattare cope with what he terms his "withdrawal" from broadcasting.

One thing he learned from Jim Leyland was that when ties are broken with an organization, it's best for both parties if you move on fast and don't look back. This is why Frattare declined a much-appreciated invitation from Pirates president Frank Coonelly to have a day in his honor at PNC Park this season.

Fact is, Frattare does not plan to follow the Pirates closely at all. It's nothing personal, he says, but rather the best way he can deal with the situation.

"I probably will not listen to a broadcast, and I will not be going to the ballpark," he says. "I won't be able to listen to the games, because it will be too tough on me mentally. It may sound like a coward's way out, but I know my mental make-up well enough to know it's the best thing.

"I've suffered much of my life with insecurity and depression (he was granted a 10-day leave in 2004 because of a bout with clinical depression), and therefore, I know that for my well-being, this is best. It's not that I don't care, but I cared so much for so long that it's now important to me to care about something else - and that something is my family, my sobriety, my faith and Waynesburg."

Frattare worked his 5,000th game Aug. 10. He never dreamt he would last that long when he was named as part of the replacement team for the legendary Bob Prince in 1976 -- especially after some harsh early criticism.

The pressure was enormous, because the Pirates had fired Prince.

"There were a number of critical articles and letters early on that really got into my head," Frattare says. "Now, when I look back, it is pretty remarkable that I lasted 33 years. I owe it to the ballclub and the fans. I don't believe anyone can stick around 33 years if the fans don't like much of what you're doing.

"It took me a long time to realize I couldn't please everybody."

Frattare insists he didn't think about Opening Day one time yesterday morning. He didn't even know the start time. Were he in St. Louis, he says, prompted by a question, he'd be finishing his pregame lunch at the team hotel and getting ready to walk to the ballpark.

But he is nowhere near St. Louis.

Penguins' Crosby is on top of his game

Tuesday, April 07, 2009
By Dave Molinari, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/

Steve Mitchell/Associated Press

Panthers defenseman Keith Ballard ard Sidney Crosby fight in the first period Sunday in Sunrise, Fla.


TAMPA, Fla. -- There were a lot of questions and concerns about Sidney Crosby's play earlier this season.

That kind of thing happens when a guy regarded by many as the best in the world at what he does has more than his share of mortal moments.

It was widely noted in hockey circles that his offensive production had become a bit sporadic -- which is to say, several multiple-point games per week weren't a given -- and that his skating wasn't as powerful as usual.

He looked, at times, like a pretty good player. Which, for Sidney Crosby, isn't nearly good enough.

And no one was more aware of it than Crosby.

"December and January, it was just tough," he said. "Whether it was a combination of being a little tired from last year or losing a few [games] and not being able to keep momentum ... whatever it was, I had to try to get my game back."

Well, it worked.

"There's no question he's playing his best hockey now," assistant coach Mike Yeo said. "The effort he goes out there with every shift, you can just see the desperation is there, and his commitment to both sides of the game.

"You see him blocking shots, the way he's playing in his own zone and obviously what he brings offensively.

"When he plays at that level, he's such a great leader because he elevates the rest of the team."

Although Crosby enters the Penguins' game against Tampa Bay tonight at the St. Pete Times Forum with no points in the past two games, that came in the wake of a 12-game scoring streak, a stretch that would have reached 16 if not interrupted by an injury.

Crosby's next point will give him 100 for the third time in four pro seasons. The lone exception was last season, when he had 72 because a high ankle sprain limited him to 53 games.

Whether the lingering effects of that injury, or some other physical problem, played a part in Crosby's struggles earlier this season is unclear.

"I don't know if it was injuries that were slowing him down," defenseman Brooks Orpik said. "Even when he does have injuries, he's not very vocal about it. You never really know with him."
Crosby has regained the burst that was missing from his skating -- "It seems like he has that extra gear again," Orpik said -- and his passion is evident at both ends of the ice. In the Penguins' 3-2 overtime loss at Carolina Saturday, he tied for the team lead by blocking five shots.

"He's a great player and those great players, when you need them the most, they rise to the occasion," Yeo said. "I think he recognized the severity of our situation, what we needed. That's why he's [the captain]."

Whether the Penguins have gone on a 15-3-4 run because Crosby has elevated his game or whether Crosby has benefited from a general upgrade in his teammates' performance is a matter of perspective. Most likely, it's a blend of the two.

"If Sid plays well, it's a big help for us," goalie Marc-Andre Fleury said. "If, all together, we do things well, maybe he doesn't have the pressure to do so much to make us win."

There are, however, at least a couple of outside factors that have contributed to Crosby's resurgence.

Interim coach Dan Bylsma's emphasis on a more up-tempo style plays to Crosby's strengths -- "He's very motivated to play an aggressive style, an attacking style," Yeo said -- and having linemates whose games complement his own obviously is an asset.

After dealing with a revolving door on his wings for much of the season, Crosby has settled in between Chris Kunitz and Bill Guerin, both of whom were acquired as the trade deadline approached.

Their arrival not only has allowed the Penguins to restore balance to their forward lines, but also puts Crosby with guys who can get him the puck and work their way into scoring positions to get it from him.

"Obviously, [those acquisitions] benefited our team, but probably if it benefited one individual, it's Sidney Crosby," Yeo said.

It shows, just about every time he steps onto the ice.

"It took a little bit [of time]," Crosby said. "But I feel like I'm back to where I need to be."

And all those question marks from a few months ago have been replaced with exclamation points.

Dave Molinari can be reached at dmolinari@post-gazette.com.
First published on April 7, 2009 at 12:00 am

Jack Wilson's attitude a hit

Tuesday, April 07, 2009
By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/


Lynne Sladky/Associated Press

Jack Wilson watches his winning three-run double in the ninth inning against the Cardinals on opening day yesterday in St. Louis.


ST. LOUIS -- Confidence?

Who needs it?

Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson's ninth-inning at-bat yesterday in a stunning 6-4 win against the St. Louis Cardinals made a compelling argument that confidence is overrated. Wilson wasn't thinking about being the opening-day hero when he stepped to the plate with two outs, the bases loaded and the Pirates down, 4-3. He was thinking anything but, actually.

"First of all, I wanted to make sure I was hitting," Wilson said. "No really. I took a quick peek to see if Craig Monroe was out of the dugout. I hadn't done much with my four at-bats. It wouldn't have been out of the question for [manager John Russell] to hit for me there. I wanted to hit, but I'm not going to be selfish about it. We're all here to win."

Wilson didn't see Monroe, but he soon saw plenty of heat -- up close and personal -- from Cardinals closer Jason Motte. He already had struck out twice. "I was thinking hat trick there, to be honest," Wilson said.

You know, three strikeouts.

"Just kidding," Wilson said, grinning.

I'm not so sure.

Wilson didn't feel comfortable with the new hitting approach that he developed this spring with batting coach Don Long. He is lowering his hands significantly when he cocks his bat. His swing felt OK, he said, but he thought he was upper-cutting the ball.

"So in that at-bat I decided to find a place between where I used to be and where I'm supposed to be now. I raised my hands up just a hair. Baseball is a game of adjustments. Thankfully, I was able to make one there that helped us win the game."

There was no prettier sight for the Pirates than Wilson turning on an 0-2 Motte fastball and rocketing the ball to the left-center gap. His double didn't just score the three runs that were the difference, it deflated a Busch Stadium crowd of 45,832 that takes its baseball almost as seriously as Pittsburghers take Steelers football.

Talk about an unlikely star.

"Everyone thought I was going to be gone after last season," Wilson said.

That includes the man himself.

Wilson knew he was entering the final year of his contract and knew he was going to be the Pirates' highest-paid player at $7.25 million this season. He was so convinced that he was going to be traded at baseball's winter meetings in December that he made the trip to Las Vegas to be on scene when a deal was struck.

"Ah, I just went because my agent asked me because he wants me to be his partner after I'm done playing," Wilson said. "And the meetings were in Vegas. Any chance I get to go to Vegas, I'm there."

All of that might be true, but it sure seemed as if Wilson was begging for a trade. Who could blame him for that? This is his ninth season with the Pirates and he has never played on a winner. He spoke to former teammate Jason Bay in the offseason. Do you think Bay might have said something to him about how different and wonderful it is playing in a city such as Boston?

"Honestly, I wasn't disappointed when I wasn't traded," Wilson said. "Everyone knows I'm a guy who believes there's a plan laid out for me. I can't be a negative person because I know how blessed I've been with my family and my job. I belong in Pittsburgh. I'm happy to be a Pirate."

Especially on this day.

Hey, the Pirates are 1-0.

It's a long way from a winning season, but it's a start, right?

"We know we're the fourth team in town, the one that hasn't been able to get it done," Wilson said. "But it's not because of a lack of effort. We're trying to reach ourselves up to Pitt, the Steelers and the Penguins ...

"We're a team that's never going to give up. It's been that way since I've been here. If we lose, it's going to be a battle."

And, occasionally, deliver a late, magical three-run double.

"That makes for as good of a 1-for-5 day as you can have," Wilson said, fairly beaming.

It's still hard to imagine Wilson being with the Pirates for the long term. There is that salary, after all. But that's OK. As long as he's with the team, I'm going to enjoy watching him.

What a joy that is.

The man can still pick it at shortstop, for one thing. "My primary job is to be captain of the defense. I feel like I'm doing that better now than I ever have," Wilson said.

But Wilson's appeal goes beyond that. He's 31, but he still plays the game with a kid-like passion. He couldn't wait to get to the park yesterday because opening day makes him feel, well, 13.

"I told myself this was going to be the year that I didn't stay up all night, bouncing off the walls," he said. "But, sure enough, I went to bed at 2 and was up by 7:30.

"Baseball is such a beautiful game. I just love playing it."

Say this about Wilson:

His performance might not always match that big salary, but his attitude surely does.

Ron Cook can be reached at rcook@post-gazette.com. More articles by this author
First published on April 7, 2009 at 12:00 am

Penguins' Fleury standing tall in crease

By Rob Rossi, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/
Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Playing "very good" has not made Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury good enough in the eyes of many people outside his organization.

Nearing the six-year anniversary of his first overall selection at the 2003 NHL entry draft, Fleury is no longer trying to win over everybody.

"When you are young you don't realize it, but you start learning that goalie is a fun position — you're the last guy to stop the puck from going in and the first guy that gets blamed when it does, and that's just how it goes," Fleury said Tuesday — the final day of his third consecutive dominant March.

"As long as I have the respect of my coaches and teammates, and we're winning, I don't really care what (everybody) thinks."

Fleury, 24, is still considered by some an inconsistent underachiever - even though he is two years removed from 40 wins in his first full season as a No. 1 goalie, and last season he backstopped the Penguins to the Stanley Cup final.

He went 11-1-1 with a 1.57 goals-against average last month, making him 28-3-5 with a 2.03 GAA in March over the past three seasons, but his 31-save shutout performance against Calgary on March 25 was described by Flames coach Mike Keenan as just "very good."

"Oh, he's better than that," Penguins winger Pascal Dupuis said. "I think he's become great."

Fleury's teammates believe he receives far too little credit for the Penguins' third straight second-half surge. They also say his contribution to the franchise's transformation from bottom-dweller three years ago to Stanley Cup contender the past two seasons is vastly under-appreciated — if not generally ignored.

"He's been labeled as a talent, but for some reason not many people mention that over the last two years he's become one of the best goalies in the game," Penguins backup goaltender Mathieu Garon said. "I wasn't here last year, but I know that guys around the league think that was his coming of age as an elite goalie."

Often praised for superior athleticism and, as Garon noted, "that quick movement with his (leg) pads," Fleury has over the past three seasons honed a skill that center Jordan Staal feels often is slighted because it is not easily measurable by statistics.

"He's there for the big (saves), he's there when this team needs him," Staal said, referring to Fleury's final-minutes stop Saturday on a point-blank shot by New York Rangers winger Nik Antropov to preserve a one-goal lead for the Penguins' eventual win.

"Some goalies just learn how to win, and 'Flower' is one of those goalies."

Fleury, 32-17-6 overall with a 2.68 goals-against average and .912 save percentage, will be there for his teammates tonight as they wrap a franchise-record eight-game homestand against the New Jersey Devils. Before games played last night, the Devils (47-25-4, 98 points) were slated to face the Penguins (41-27-8, 90 points) in an opening-round playoff series.

Perhaps a victorious postseason duel with all-time NHL wins leader Martin Brodeur, who has guided the Devils to three Cup titles, might provide Fleury the public showcase to finally take his place among hockey's elite goalies.

More likely, Penguins left wing Chris Kunitz said, Fleury must win the Cup to gain favorable recognition.

"It's the one position in hockey that everybody points to in the playoffs because you don't win unless your goalie is hot," said Kunitz, who won the Cup with Anaheim in 2007 partly on the strength of Ducks goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere's stellar postseason performance (13-4, 1.97 GAA, .922 save percentage).

"For whatever reason, no team in the playoffs is really respected unless opponents know the goalie is a game-changer. A goalie solidifies a championship team. (Giguere) did that for our team in Anaheim, he gave us an unshakeable confidence."

Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said "absolutely" Fleury provides the same degree of confidence for his team because he no longer has "stints that are weak."

"There are times when tough goals go in, but he regroups quickly and forgets about that goal pretty easily," Crosby said. "He's become that much tougher to beat when he gives up a goal he would like to have back."

Defenseman Brooks Orpik said there have been fewer of those goals allowed this season by Fleury, whose newfound approach suggests a championship-caliber maturity entering his third postseason.

"I used to be in my head too much," Fleury said. "If a team scored, I couldn't take it. Now I go one shot at a time. If it goes in, I'm mad, but I've learned to (sweep) the puck out of the net and just go again.

"There's nothing I can do about the past. All I can control is what happens next, and I can make that pretty good."

Wild ride in Pittsburgh sports

By Joe Starkey, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/
Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Steelers receiver Santonio Holmes makes the game-winning touchdown catch in Super Bowl XLIII.

Chaz Palla/Tribune-Review


Time out!

Drop the nachos. Lose the clicker. Fold your hands in praise. Thank the sports gods, Pittsburgh, for they have been very, very good to you.

This might feel awkward in the wake of Pitt's crushing NCAA Tournament loss to Villanova. But if you follow Pittsburgh sports, know this: These are the good old days.

We have, of late, been treated to nothing but one high-stakes, heart-stopping game after another.

Nearly all of our teams not named the Pirates are winning.

Duquesne basketball is winning.

Sure, the 1970s netted four Super Bowl rings, two World Series titles and a college football national championship. That was the golden era, spawning the nickname "City of Champions."

But did it ever produce so many epic games in such a short period of time?

We're talking a year-and-a-half here — sixteen months, actually. It all began Dec. 1, 2007, the day Pitt left the entire state of West Virginia in a Backyard Pall.

Rich Rodriguez will take the final score to his grave:

Pitt 13, West Virginia 9.

Since then, all we get are unforgettable games, even if Pittsburgh doesn't always win.

A month after 13-9, the Steelers nearly pulled off the greatest fourth-quarter comeback in playoff history, erasing an 18-point deficit against Jacksonville only to lose by a point (surely, two quarterback runs from that game are burned into your psyche: Big Ben around left end; David Garrard up the middle).

Two months after that, the Pitt basketball team executed a mind-blowing reversal to win the Big East Tournament. The Panthers dropped four of their final seven regular-season games, then beat Cincinnati, Louisville, Marquette and Georgetown on successive nights and cut the nets at Madison Square Garden.

This season, the Steelers won five regular-season games in the final two minutes or overtime. They put a dagger in the Dallas Cowboys and won the AFC North on a surreal drive and a disputed catch in Baltimore.

The Pitt basketball team beat No. 1 UConn twice. The Pitt football team roared back from a 17-3 third-quarter deficit to win in four overtimes at Notre Dame.

Did we mention the Penguins? All they've done for much of the past few seasons is play pulsating games. Memorable ones, too, including a 6-0 demolition of the hated Philadelphia Flyers to clinch last season's Eastern Conference title

And guess what? None of the aforementioned games, save for 13-9, has a prayer of cracking this man's top five.

That's how incredible a 16-month span it's been.

Steelers safety Troy Polamalu scores a touchdown on an interception return against the Ravens during the fourth quarter of the AFC Championship Game at Heinz Field.

Christopher Horner/Tribune-Review

The envelope, please:

5. AFC Championship Game, Jan. 18, 2009, Heinz Field: Steelers 23, Ravens 14 — Would it be a stretch to call this one of the more brutal conference title games ever played? (Not for Willis McGahee it wouldn't).

Ravens players kept coming back, like Monty Python characters, after sustaining seemingly grievous injuries. It hurt to watch this game, which finally was decided on Troy Polamalu's fabulous 40-yard interception return.

If you love football the way Vince Lombardi loved it, the way Jack Lambert loved it, then you will always hold a special place for Steelers 23, Ravens 14.

4. Backyard Brawl, Dec. 1, 2007, Mountaineer Field: Pitt 13, West Virginia 9 — Easily the most stunning result of any sporting event I have attended. The tensest atmosphere, too, as an entire college football world looked on to see if West Virginia, a 28-point favorite, would earn a spot in the national championship game.

The post-game images are what stand out, particularly this one: Rodriguez delivering the most tortured news conference in the history of organized sports amid the sound of Pitt's players whooping it up in the background. Their locker room was just behind the wall where Rodriguez stood.

3. Elite Eight, NCAA Tournament, March 28, 2009, TD Banknorth Garden: Villanova 78, Pitt 76 — Sports Illustrated's Seth Davis called it "one of the great games in NCAA Tournament history." I'm not sure I'd go that far, but I know this: I couldn't sit down for the final 10 minutes — and I was in my living room.

People will always wonder about Pitt's alignment on Scottie Reynolds' game-winning play (it was clearly flawed), but the bottom line is that every quarter century or so, Villanova flirts with perfection in a big game.

Back in 1985, they were almost perfect from the field in a title-game shocker over Georgetown. On Saturday night, they shot 95.7 percent from the line (22 of 23) — nearly the finest performance in NCAA Tournament history. That, more than anything, decided the outcome.

2. Game 5, Stanley Cup Final, June 2-3, 2008, Joe Louis Arena: Penguins 4, Red Wings 3 (4OT) — It's funny what you'll remember from a classic event. For this reporter, on this night, it was colleague Rob Rossi angrily storming the hallways in the bowels of Joe Louis Arena, once he realized deadline had been crushed like Ryan Malone by a Niklas Kronwall check.

Also, I'd never walked into a post-game locker room like the Penguins' that night. It looked like a M*A*S*H* unit. The first player I saw was Malone. Blood dripped from his nose, which had been mangled by a teammate's shot.

"Could you even breathe?" a reporter wondered.

"Out of my mouth," Malone said. "That's good enough."

1. Super Bowl XLIII, Feb. 1, 2009, Raymond James Stadium: Steelers 27, Cardinals 23 — An obvious choice, having produced two of the greatest plays and perhaps the greatest ending in Super Bowl history.

I was watching at home, on our quiet street in Green Tree. As soon as the game ended, my wife said, "Turn down the sound and listen."

Horns were blaring. People were shouting in glee.

It got me to thinking about how lucky we are to live in a sports town like this. I also wondered what it must have been like the night Bill Mazeroski beat the mighty New York Yankees and about whether the Pirates will ever again prompt a city-wide celebration.

If not, I'm guessing we'll have plenty to keep us entertained.

Rooney's departure hurts NFL

Tuesday, March 31, 2009
By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/


Andy Starnes/Post-Gazette

Steelers' owner Dan Rooney Sr. walks with President Barack Obama near the David L. Lawrence Convention Center during the campaign last year.


When the NFL owners shook hands with the Steelers' Dan Rooney last week and wished him well in his new position as U.S. ambassador to Ireland, they weren't just saying goodbye to an old, dear friend. They could have been saying goodbye to the long-term health of their league.

You might think that's a bit overdramatic, but it's not. No one, other than former commissioner Pete Rozelle, has had a greater impact on the NFL's dizzying success than Rooney. The league will struggle going forward without him.

Maybe it would be different with a better economy. Certainly, it would be different if the NFL's first work stoppage since 1987 weren't looming. But the economy is rotten and, well, let's allow new NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith to address the work-stoppage threat: "There isn't a day where I do not hope for peace. But at the same time, there isn't a day that we will not prepare for war."

At a time the NFL needs Rooney more than ever, he's not going to be there. Not as long as the U.S. Senate approves his appointment by President Barack Obama.

Good luck to the league with that.

The day-to-day operations of the Steelers shouldn't be affected much with Rooney off in Ireland doing wonderful things for the Obama administration and the Irish people. Team president Art Rooney II -- Dan's son -- has played a prominent part in running the club for years. As he has said, his father will be just a phone call away for advice on the really big issues, a new contract for linebacker James Harrison, perhaps, or one for coach Mike Tomlin.

It's at the league level where Rooney will be missed the most, especially with the contentious labor negotiations ahead. One of his greatest strengths is his sense of reason, his ability to get his fellow owners to find a common ground with the union even during times when the two sides didn't like each other much. He was so good at it that he helped the NFL to become the best, most stable and most competitive professional sports league in this country, if not the world.
The NFL desperately needs someone to fill that role now.

Really, these next negotiations could get ugly.

Almost immediately after doing the most recent deal with the players in March 2006, the owners had regrets about giving away too much -- now 60 percent of their revenues. In November, they opted to re-open the contract. If a new basic agreement isn't reached, the 2010 season will be played without a salary cap. If that happens, the players have said they won't agree to a cap again. The owners appear ready to lock the players out after the 2011 draft.

Yes, we're talking ugly.

We're also talking about the possibility -- remote, maybe, but still a possibility -- of football turning into baseball.

Could you imagine a worse nightmare than the Steelers turning into the Pirates?

It's nice to think the NFL owners -- even without Rooney's steadying hand -- won't allow their league to follow that destructive path. But who knows? They might not even be able to agree among themselves about what is best for their sport. Rich owners Daniel Snyder of Washington and Jerry Jones of Dallas figure to have a different agenda than relatively poor owners Mike Brown of Cincinnati and Ralph Wilson of Buffalo. The result could be the chaos that baseball often experiences.

That's another area where Rooney will be missed. He wasn't just a mediator between the owners and players; he was a consensus builder among the owners. Snyder and Jones -- billionaires who aren't used to listening to anyone -- listened to him and respected his opinions. So did Brown and Wilson.

To whom will the owners listen now?

No one else in the league commands that respect.

That's why the owners did their goodbyes with Rooney at their meetings in Dana Point, Calif., with what had to be mixed emotions. They are happy for him, to be sure. The ambassadorship is a tremendous honor. It's not just a reward from Obama, whom Rooney prominently backed last year for office. It's well-deserved because of the trust Rooney has built up with the Irish people with his great work in Ireland over the years.

"It's an inspired choice," Chicago Bears owner Mike McCaskey told the Post-Gazette's Ed Bouchette of Rooney's appointment.

Absolutely, it is.

But what's good for Rooney, the Obama administration and Ireland clearly isn't good for the NFL. The owners had good reason to feel a lot of sadness in those goodbye handshakes with Rooney. They know the harsh truth: Their league won't be nearly as strong without him.

Ron Cook can be reached at rcook@post-gazette.com. More articles by this author
First published on March 31, 2009 at 12:00 am

Mike Tomlin: He considers himself a Western Pa. guy

2009 Dapper Dan Sportsman of the Year

Sunday, March 29, 2009
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette


Peter Diana/Post-Gazette


Mike Tomlin's long list of things to do at the NFL meetings at Dana Point, Calif., last week included a phone call to Pittsburgh.

He wanted to talk to Pitt basketball coach Jamie Dixon after the Panthers made the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament. He did not want to congratulate him, however, because "the job's not done.''

Tomlin has become a Pitt fan, basketball and football. He has become a Penguins fan. He has been known to show up at WPIAL high school basketball games. Who knows, he might even have joined that list of long-suffering Pirates fans.

Living in Pittsburgh just a little more than two years, Tomlin has embraced all the city and Western Pennsylvania has to offer, not merely because it looks good as coach of the Steelers but because he enjoys it all. Kennywood Park, Seven Springs, the Strip District, you name it, Tomlin has explored the area's top attractions. He's the first Steelers coach to move his family into a city neighborhood, Shadyside, in half a century.

And he recognizes the honor of earning the Dapper Dan Sportsman of the Year Award and the history that goes with it.

"Yeah, man, that's Western Pa. I consider myself a Western Pa. guy at this point, man, so it's an honor. When you think about some of the people who have been honored in that way, it's humbling, and I look forward to the evening."

The evening takes place Thursday, and Tomlin joins a select crew that includes his two predecessors, Bill Cowher and Chuck Noll. It's appropriate since both of those former Steelers coaches have other things in common with Tomlin, including Super Bowl rings.

Tomlin not only joined Noll and Cowher among the Super Bowl winning coaches, he became the youngest coach in the 43-year history of the Super Bowl to win it. He won at 36, and now he's 37 and his future looks bright.

He entered a situation with the Steelers that was the envy of some coaches, while others might have seen all the landmines. Indeed, the Steelers had good talent when he took over in 2007 and the team had won the Super Bowl two years earlier.

Getty Images

TAMPA, FL - FEBRUARY 01: Head coach Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers holds his daughter Harlyn Quinn as he celebrates their 27-23 win against the Arizona Cardinals during Super Bowl XLIII on February 1, 2009 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.

But it was not a happy team. The Steelers cut popular linebacker and captain Joey Porter, and another captain, Alan Faneca, was disgruntled by his contract situation. Add the fact that the Steelers were coming off a disappointing 8-8 season as Super Bowl champions, and that many were upset that neither Russ Grimm nor Ken Whisenhunt got the coaching job, and there were potential problems everywhere.

Then, Tomlin, a coach no one knew, laid down the law and a tough training camp schedule.

"He kind of took the respect the first year," linebacker James Harrison said. "Everything was his way. There was no negotiating of anything. We were in full pads hitting and banging until week 15 or 16."

He got the players' attention and, eventually, they responded. The Steelers rebounded to win the AFC North Division title in Tomlin's rookie season of 2007 at 10-6, but lost their first playoff game.

A year later, he adjusted some of his style and schedule.

"This year, he came in and he started to take care of us," Harrison said of the 2008 season. "He got us out of pads early in the season and that helps your body out down the road. I think him changing from the things he did last year, I guess he may have learned a little bit from there until now."

That's the thing about being 36 or 37 and running your own show. You can be open to learning new things along the way.

"I will make adjustments to what has happened to me and us on a year-to-year basis every year," Tomlin said the other day. "I'm in the process of going through that in terms of delivering a message to our football team for '09. From that standpoint, it'll be different but it'll be the same in that will be ongoing every year."

Tomlin has laughed as he continues to be asked if he thought he could coach a team to a Super Bowl victory so soon, and if so why.

"You know, I think that belief in one's self is a big part of it. I believed in myself and my vision in terms of what I wanted to do as a head coach. And, of course, I had no visual evidence but such is life.

Getty Images

TAMPA, FL - FEBRUARY 01: Head coach Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks on against the Arizona Cardinals during Super Bowl XLIII on February 1, 2009 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.

"I had a great deal of trust in the Rooneys that they knew what they were doing from a selection standpoint, and my comfort lied in the fact they had a great deal of belief in me."

Now it's become vogue to hire head coaches in their early 30s in the NFL. Some say Tomlin's quick success helped pave the way for those others; Tomlin is not among those saying it.

"I'm not going to think that what I do has any effect over what's going on around this game or in this league. I'm not going to be so presumptuous. I think those owners went through a process they felt was necessary in their situations and circumstance and made the correct decisions from their perspective."

The cover

Mike Tomlin, Shavonte Zellous and Dick LeBeau take their places this week among a Who's Who of Pittsburgh sports in the past 70 years. Pictured are some of the previous honorees. The pantheon includes, clockwise from the upper left corner: Billy Conn, Ralph Kiner, Terry Bradshaw, Mario Lemieux, Suzie McConnell-Serio, Willie Stargell, Joe Greene, Arnold Palmer, Roberto Clemente, Tony Dorsett, Sidney Crosby, John Michelosen, Dave Parker, Agnus Berenato, Stan Musial, Bill Cowher, Johnny Majors, Lauryn Williams, Ben Howland, ElRoy Face, Dan Marino, Swin Cash, Dick Groat, Joe Paterno, Danny Murtaugh and Chuck Noll. Conn was the first Dapper Dan sportsman of the year recipient in 1939.

Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com.
First published on March 29, 2009 at 12:00 am