2009 Dapper Dan nominees and memories, moments & miracles

Sunday, January 10, 2010
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/

LAS VEGAS - JUNE 18: Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins poses with the Art Ross Trophy and the Conn Smythe Trophy following the 2009 NHL Awards at the Palms Casino Resort on June 18, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

2009 SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR

• Dion Lewis -- Pitt tailback ... The true freshman was named the Big East's Offensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year. Eclipsed Tony Dorsett's freshman rushing record with 1,799 yards for the season and was recently named National Freshman of the Year by Sporting News.

• Evgeni Malkin -- Penguins center ...Helped the Penguins win the Stanley Cup championship and was named playoff MVP, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy. Also led the league in scoring with 113 points in the regular season and was awarded the Art Ross Trophy.

• Ben Roethlisberger -- Steelers quarterback ... Led the Steelers to a Super Bowl victory in February then set a record in 2009 as the first quarterback in Steelers history to throw for 4,000 yards or more in a season. Was named the team's MVP for the first time in his six-year career.

• Ray Shero -- Penguins GM ... Architect of the team that won the 2009 Stanley Cup. Made several moves including the installation of Dan Bylsma as head coach in February and roster acquisitions at the trade deadline that had a huge impact on the Penguins' success.

• Dave Wannstedt -- Pitt football coach ... A graduate of Baldwin and the University of Pittsburgh, led Pitt back to the national stage and top 15 ranking with 10 wins for the first time since 1981 including a win at the Meineke Car Care Bowl in December.

Penn State's Kelsey Ream (8) holds the trophy after Penn State's win over Texas in the NCAA college volleyball national championship match Saturday, Dec. 19, 2009, in Tampa, Fla. Penn State won 22-25, 20-25, 25-23, 25-21, 15-13.(AP)

2009 SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR

• Meghan Klingenberg -- North Carolina soccer player ... A Pine-Richland graduate who is one of the star players for the Tar Heels' 2009 national championship soccer team and a midfielder for the U.S. national team.

• Suzie McConnell-Serio -- Duquesne women's basketball coach ... Pittsburgh native and Dukes coach since 2007 has guided the team toward national respectability by winning 20 games last season and earning a WNIT trip, then upsetting Pitt in December, their first win against a ranked team since 1994.

• Carol Sprague -- Pitt Sr. Associate Athletics Director ... Recognized for her tireless efforts to help bring the women's basketball program into the national spotlight and was instrumental in bringing the NCAA women's basketball championship opening rounds to Petersen Events Center in 2010.

• Penn State Women's Volleyball Team -- Made NCAA history, becoming the first team ever to win three consecutive NCAA national championships and winning 102 matches in a row, a feat topped only by the University of Miami men's tennis team for longest streak ever (137).

CHARLOTTE, NC - DECEMBER 26: Dion Lewis #28 of the Pittsburgh Panthers runs with the ball against the North Carolina Tar Heels during their game on December 26, 2009 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Getty Images)

BREAKTHROUGH ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

• Dion Lewis -- Named Big East Offensive Player of the Year in his freshman season and rushed for 1,799 yards.

• Andrew McCutchen -- Hit .286 with 12 HRs and 54 RBIs in 108 games for the Pirates as a rookie. Stole 22 bases.

• Rashard Mendenhall -- Led Steelers with 1,108 rushing yards in his first full season and scored eight TDs.

• Mike Wallace -- Steelers rookie caught 39 passes for 759 yards and six TDs, including last-second, game-winning catch vs. Green Bay.

MEMORIES, MOMENTS & MIRACLES

Reuters Pictures

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison runs back an interception 100 yards, the longest in Super Bowl history, for a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals that ended the second quarter of the NFL's Super Bowl XLIII football game in Tampa, Florida, February 1, 2009. The Cardinals Mike Gandy attempts a late tackle.

2009 BEST PLAY

• Big Return -- James Harrison makes Super Bowl history with a 100-yard interception return for a TD.

• Super Catch -- Santonio Holmes snares a catch for the ages, leading the Steelers to victory in Super Bowl XLIII.

• Trick Shot -- Evgeni Malkin launches a backhand flip for a goal vs. Carolina in the Eastern Conference final.

• Great Save -- Marc-Andre Fleury makes brilliant save in Game 7 on Nicklas Lidstrom to win Stanley Cup.

Getty Images

DETROIT - JUNE 12: Mario Lemieux of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates with the Stanley Cup after defeating the Detroit Red Wings by a score of 2-1 to win Game Seven and the 2009 NHL Stanley Cup Finals at Joe Louis Arena on June 12, 2009 in Detroit, Michigan.

2009 BEST SPORTS MOMENT

• Sixburgh --- The Steelers win their sixth Super Bowl in dramatic fashion in Tampa, Fla.

• Magnifique -- Mario Lemieux hoists the Stanley Cup then hands it off to captain Sidney Crosby as the Penguins celebrate triumph in Detroit.

• Three Deep -- Andrew McCutchen hits three homers vs. Washington on an electrified night at PNC Park.

• Graduation Day -- Duquesne's Sam Ashaolu graduates after near fatal shooting and becomes an inspiration to the university.

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First published on January 10, 2010 at 12:00 am

Steelers need to extend Tomlin's contract for all the right reasons

Sunday, January 10, 2010
By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/

Larry Roberts / Post-Gazette

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin

There are several ways to describe Steelers coach Mike Tomlin's job performance this season, but this clearly is most appropriate:

Below the line.

Not even Tomlin will argue that.

The Steelers missed the playoffs despite having superior talent to at least four of the six teams that made the AFC field. Tomlin is the boss.

Therefore ...

"I accept responsibility for everything," the man said, not even attempting to duck.

That is as it should be.

Responsibility for the pass-defense problems in the secondary, which devastated the team.

For the kickoff and punt coverage troubles, which never really were solved.

For the red-zone shortcomings on offense.

For the hideous five-game losing streak, which started at midseason and sabotaged the team's 6-2 start.

For the players failing to "unleash hell" -- Tomlin's promise -- after the loss in Baltimore Nov. 29 and losing at home the next weekend to the awful Oakland Raiders.

For the most lifeless effort a Steelers team has made in years in an embarrassing loss in Cleveland Dec. 10.

For all of it.

You know what is coming next, right?

At this point, there is only one thing the Steelers should do with Tomlin:

Give him a two-year contract extension.

What?

You don't really think they should fire him, do you?

Don't be foolish.

Tomlin deserves an extension. One bad season doesn't make a bad coach. Bill Cowher had a bunch of bad ones here before Tomlin, and teams are lining up to throw countless millions at him to get him back in the business. Tomlin showed a long time ago the job isn't too big for him. He showed he knows how to win.

Tomlin proved he could coach in his first season -- 2007 -- when he took over a veteran team that was angry because one of Cowher's assistants -- Russ Grimm or Ken Whisenhunt -- didn't succeed him. He survived All-Pro guard Alan Faneca's contract bitterness, a dispute so ugly that Faneca refused to be an offensive captain. The team won the AFC North Division.

Tomlin proved he could coach the next season when the Steelers won Super Bowl XLIII. That, alone, is worth a new contract.

Even this season, Tomlin proved he could coach by getting the players back on track after that fiasco in Cleveland. Just when it looked as if the Steelers would finish with an eight-game losing streak and a 6-10 record, they won their final three games to go 9-7 and nearly climb out of a very deep, dark hole.

Tomlin deserves an extension.

The time is right. An announcement of a new deal for Tomlin is expected before training camp in July. The Rooneys long have preached of the importance of "continuity" and "stability" in their organization. To back that up, they almost always give an extension to their coach when he has two years left on his current contract, as Tomlin does. That's a big reason they have had just three coaches in the past 41 seasons. It's also a big reason they have been so successful.

Something team president Art Rooney II said when he gave Cowher a three-year extension before the 2001 season still is memorable. At the time, the Steelers had missed the playoffs for three consecutive years and many fans were calling for Cowher to be fired.

"All things considered, he's still one of the best coaches in the NFL," Rooney said. "Taking a chance on maybe having to bring someone new in here was not the direction we wanted to go."

It's safe to think management has the same opinion of Tomlin.

Is he a perfect coach? No, for all of those reasons mentioned above and a few others. For that third-and-1 pass play early in the game at Cleveland on a frozen field on a frigid night. For that ridiculous onside kick against the Green Bay Packers. For the way he made safety Troy Polamalu look bad -- even soft -- by seeming to minimize his second knee injury even as he missed game after game, the final seven in all.

It's nice to think Polamalu won't be alienated the way former star running back Barry Foster was after similar mistreatment from Cowher in 1993.

So, no, Tomlin isn't perfect.

But what coach is?

While we're asking questions, here are two more:

Is Tomlin the right man for the Steelers' job right now? Yes.

Should he get that extension? Absolutely.

Ron Cook can be reached at rcook@post-gazette.com. More articles by this author

First published on January 10, 2010 at 12:00 am

Don't expect major changes

Post-season analysis

Sunday, January 10, 2010
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/

How close is close? Last season, the Steelers claimed the cigar; this one? The cigar butt.

The Arizona Cardinals reached a Super Bowl last year and nearly won it after finishing their regular season with a 9-7 record. The Steelers, who barely beat the Cardinals to win their sixth title, finished this season 9-7 and did not make the playoffs.


Hines Ward after the Steelers hit bottom Dec. 10 with a 13-6 loss in Cleveland.

Of their seven losses, the most lopsided was a 13-6 upset by the Cleveland Browns. Of those seven losses, five came by three points, two in overtime.

Thus, the Steelers were 14 total points from going 14-2 in 2009.

Can they afford to think that way as they prepare for 2010?

"No," coach Mike Tomlin answered. "That's the National Football League. Look at how many of our victories were like that. This is a fragile thing. It is."

Along the way to their Super Bowl XLIII victory, the Steelers won half of their 12 regular-season victories by a touchdown or less. It could be the law of averages merely evened things in 2009. It could be that the difference between the past two seasons was the absence of Troy Polamalu and Aaron Smith on defense.

Or maybe it is a more ominous sign that unless everything works perfectly for the Steelers and no key players miss much time, they are not good enough. Maybe they got lucky in 2008 more than unlucky in 2009.

The prism at which they look at 2010 certainly has changed from the one they viewed a year ago. Last year, they were Super Bowl champs with 20 of 22 starters returning. Now they are a 9-7 team that has aged quickly on defense and has an offensive line more than a few blocks from becoming average.

There will be no quick fixes and despite what linebacker James Harrison predicted, no major changes. Tomlin already shot one Harrison theory down when he fired his line coach and one special teams coach, and his quarterbacks coach retired. Those were hardly sweeping changes.

The same will hold true when Tomlin, director of football operations Kevin Colbert and president Art Rooney II evaluate not only what went wrong but what they need to do as they move forward. The answer: They cannot do much.

This would seem to be the perfect time for a Steelers makeover. They have an old defense on the decline and an offensive line that needs an infusion. And what luck! It appears this will be an uncapped year because most people in the industry believe there will be no new collective bargaining agreement by March 1, thus creating the first season with no salary cap since 1992.


Peter Diana / Post-Gazette

Casey Hampton: Free agent says he has been told the team would not place the franchise tag on him this offseason.

That means the Steelers could spend as much as they want to acquire players and also could release players with large future salary-cap figures without taking a hit. However, by all indications, sources say the Steelers will operate as they've done in previous seasons. They will not spend more than they normally do and not take advantage of the uncapped year to get out from under big contracts. The league wants its teams to follow the spirit of the salary cap and the Steelers plan to do that.

For example, if they wanted to and asked James Farrior to take a pay cut the way they did with Jerome Bettis, they could cut him and have his $1 million pro-rated signing bonus due annually over the next three years all count this year as $3 million. Then they could sign him to a salary somewhat less than the $2.825 million due to him.

Things like that apparently will not happen, though. And there will be more than 200 players who would have been unrestricted free agents that will be restricted because the new uncapped-year rules extend the time a player can become a UFA from four to six years. That's good news for the Steelers when it comes to Willie Colon, bad news when it comes to possibly signing a young free agent.

They have some contracts of their own to negotiate, not counting potential premier free agents Casey Hampton, Jeff Reed, Ryan Clark and Willie Parker. Traditionally, they negotiate an extension with a player entering the final year of his contract. In that category are Santonio Holmes, Ike Taylor and LaMarr Woodley, three relatively young and important members of their team. There also is Tomlin, due a traditional extension with two years left on his.

The change in ownership did not bring a large infusion of money into the franchise. All it did was bring in new partners to buy out the ones who left. The spending might become more frugal because of loans that had to be floated in the franchise transaction.

So, what will they do? They will be able to make few if any significant changes. The changes that occur likely will happen as they have over the past five years in which they sign a few free agents, maybe even one who will start.

The defense might lose Clark (signed as a UFA with little fanfare in 2006) and Hampton to free agency and perhaps Deshea Townsend and Tyrone Carter. The rest of the defense might look just as it did this season, only with Polamalu and Smith rejoining it.

They can put the franchise tag on Hampton, but he contends they promised they would not do that. The tag would cost a $6 million salary, twice what Hampton made in 2009. If he leaves, they could turn to Chris Hoke and maybe newly re-signed Scott Paxson to fill the void for 2010. They might be forced to try defensive end Ziggy Hood there. He does not fit the profile of a nose tackle. Neither did Kimo von Oelhoffen, but he played the position for one season before moving to end when Hampton came aboard.


Peter Diana / Post-Gazette

James Farrior: Performance did not equal stats (102 tackles).

Farrior's play fell off in 2009 but they have no one on their roster to take his place. They have two young cornerbacks they drafted last year, Keenan Lewis and Joe Burnett, who can compete with William Gay at left cornerback. Lewis also might be in the mix with Ryan Mundy to replace Clark if he leaves.

And, of course, there will be all those draft picks and rookie free agents that arrive in April. Except for one thing -- no rookie draft pick has started on defense since Hampton in 2001. One of the things that makes Dick LeBeau's defense so good, its complexity, also makes it difficult for rookies to learn it quickly enough to start. Polamalu could not do it, Lawrence Timmons could not do it and Hood could not do it.

The offense is in better shape, excellent shape actually, in every area but one -- the offensive line. Coach Larry Zierlein became the sacrificial lamb for a line that has been in flux over the past three seasons with new starters across the board since 2007, some of them twice removed such as right guard Trai Essex, who replaced injured Darnell Stapleton, who replaced injured Kendall Simmons.

Four of those linemen received new contracts in 2009 -- in the cases of tackle Max Starks and guard Chris Kemoeatu, sizeable ones. Right tackle Colon, the lineman Zierlein said was his best, will be a restricted free agent if there is no new CBA and the Steelers can keep him.

Still, there are four young linemen who could come into play in 2010. Ramon Foster, an undrafted rookie last year, started four games at left guard for an injured Kemoeatu and held his own. Tackle Tony Hills, a fourth-round draft choice in 2008, guard Kraig Urbik, a high third-round pick last year, and center/guard Doug Legursky are the others.

The Steelers might need another running back because it appears Parker will leave as a free agent if someone else promises him a chance to at least share the duties at the position, which he did not get after he returned to health in the second half of this season.

They also might add a fullback. Before Canadian Football League fullback Rolly Lumballa signed with the Miami Dolphins this week, he entertained an offer from the Steelers. They have Frank Summers, who could become that fullback, coming off injured reserve.


Peter Diana / Post-Gazette

Rashard Mendenhall: Ran for 1,108 yards, but team wasn't able to run when it had to.

It has become clear that Tomlin wants more emphasis on the running game next season, although Ben Roethlisberger and his receivers will continue to be the focus. Gaining yards on the ground was not the main problem for the Steelers last season; getting the short ones and running when they had to run were. That might not require a big fix, merely adding a good fullback and tweaking the philosophy. They also must do something about Roethlisberger's sacks -- he had a career-high 50, which brings to 189 his total over the past four seasons.

If the Steelers can make those adjustments, they will not need major changes to compete for the playoffs next season. Playing dominant defense in the NFL has become more difficult and less important as the rules and the calls on the field swing widely toward offensive football, particularly the passing game.

At least in that area, the Steelers are well-suited, and they should be able to at least play competent defense in 2010.

It was shocking to many that the Steelers ranked seventh on offense in yards produced and fifth on defense in yards allowed and did not make the playoffs. A quick look inside some other numbers, though, shows why.

The Steelers ranked 16th as a pass defense, down from No. 1 in 2008, and they were 28th in the league in allowing third downs to be converted. Their offense was only 17th in converting third downs and ranked 21st in scoring touchdowns once they reached the opponent 20 (56 trips, 27 touchdowns). Combined, they were 20th in the league in recovering turnovers vs. giving them up at minus-3 to the bad.

"Situational football defines us," Tomlin said in his season-ending news conference Tuesday. "I've said that a lot in good times and in bad. It's no surprise to me that we were below the line at times in that area because we're sitting here today. That's why I put the emphasis on it that I do. It's the difference between winning and losing."

For more on the Steelers, read the new blog, Ed Bouchette On the Steelers at www.post-gazette.com/plus. Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com.

Ed Bouchette's blog on the Steelers and Gerry Dulac's Steelers chats are featured exclusively on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.

First published on January 10, 2010 at 12:00 am

PDF
Steelers & the Numbers

Chef assembles a Steelers shrine in his basement

Saturday, January 09, 2010
By Marylynne Pitz, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/


Michael Henninger/Post-Gazette

Dennis DeLuca of Carnegie is immersed in Steelers paraphernalia.

There are tastefully decorated "man caves" with cushy sofas, contrasting pillows, neatly framed pictures and carefully swept carpet with nary a nacho chip in sight.

And then there's Denny DeLuca's homemade Steelers shrine of a cellar that's packed with decades of memories, including a steel beam from Three Rivers Stadium and action figures he spends days painting accurately, right down to the color of their socks and shoes.

"It is such a fun place to come and watch the game. The room looks like a sports store that someone threw a bomb into," said Mr. DeLuca. "Ninety percent of the stuff is made. If something was bought, it's been altered."

Like the Elvis lamp painted black and gold. Or the bust of Bill Cowher that wears a Steelers hat, sunglasses and has dribble coming out of its mouth.


Michael Henninger/Post-Gazette

Shown here is a hand painted Steelers vs. Cardinals Super Bowl chess set.

It's a place that embodies the decorating-with-found-objects-spirit patrons enjoyed at the long-gone Chiodo's bar in Homestead.

On occasion, Mr. DeLuca sells his handiwork. A Steelers chess set he spent three months painting is displayed on a coffee table at The Sports Deli, a sports memorabilia store in Parkway Center Mall.

This cozy cellar holds two stadium seats that were offered as prototypes for Heinz Field and discarded. While the seats are reserved for visiting guests, two sofas accommodate Mr. DeLuca, his 26-year-old daughter, Jamie, son-in-law Dan Guimaraes and 2-year-old grandson, Caleb.

"I'm a little unbalanced when it comes to the Steelers," said Mr. DeLuca, a chef for the past 30 years at Rico's Restaurant in the North Hills.


Michael Henninger/Post-Gazette

Among the memorabilia are two seats from Three River Stadium.

He's made veal piccata for Dan Rooney and other members of that large Irish clan, and whipped up meals for burly guys lucky enough to wear black-and-gold jerseys.

Mr. DeLuca's friends understand him; often, they leave items on his porch. A fellow churchgoer dropped off a Steelers flag composed entirely of black and gold beads made by his mother, who died recently.

Entering this hallowed space requires a walk down a steep staircase and through a turnstile that Mr. DeLuca salvaged from Kennywood Park's Jack Rabbit.

Want to see the Steelers greatest hits? (Who doesn't, given this year's win-loss record?)

"I went on YouTube and had a guy make a DVD for me. People watch it and go nuts," Mr. DeLuca said. "It lasts a good 30 minutes."


Michael Henninger/Post-Gazette

Photos, plaques and a steel beam from Three Rivers Stadium. Dennis wrote notes on the beam while watching games at Three Rivers.

He's philosophical about recent disappointments.

"We've been in the playoffs so much we've come to expect it."

Before the Steel Curtain first rang down, Mr. DeLuca and his sons, Denny and Danny, started attending Steelers games at Three River Stadium, Section 617, on the 50-yard line. Their seats were actually in Section 605, but they preferred standing or sitting with friends on the concrete steps beneath the box for the visiting team's film crew and the NFL's camera staff.

"Friends and family would meet up there and sometimes they'd watch the whole game from up in that area. ... We sat underneath that giant cross beam," he said, pointing to a hunk of steel scrawled with writing.

While watching games, Mr. DeLuca used a marker to record moments like the Immaculate Reception. Years later, he watched the work crew that prepared Three Rivers Stadium for demolition and asked if he could have it. Later that day, as he worked in the restaurant kitchen, a co-worker told him, "There's a guy here with a piece of metal."

The beam is proudly displayed under the family's television.


Michael Henninger/Post-Gazette

More hand-painted miniatures. No. 92 is body-slamming a Browns fan. Several years ago, linebacker James Harris (who wears 92) did just that to a drunken Browns fan who ran onto the field.

Scavenging is one of Mr. DeLuca's best skills. On a Saturday morning, days before Three Rivers Stadium imploded, he slithered inside the gate wearing a hard hat and orange vest.

"There was a guy bringing the garbage out and shaking his head," the chef recalled.

The man holding it said it contained a gold banner the Steelers ran through on Dec. 16, 2000, before playing their final game at Three Rivers.

"Some guy bought it for $600 at the auction and never claimed it," Mr. DeLuca said, adding that he asked for it and walked out with it.

There's also a huge black-and-white photograph showing the famous "Ice Bowl" game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Snapped by a ball boy, the photo is signed by Dwight White, Joe Greene and L.C. Greenwood.

Perched atop one sofa and reaching for a football hung in mid-air is a Troy Polamalu mannequin. The figure recalls an interception when the long-haired player was "totally horizontal to the field in mid-air." But what would Polamalu think if he found out that's a female mannequin?


Michael Henninger/Post-Gazette

A chef's hat that was signed by former Steelers wide receiver Antwaan Randle El.

And then there's the pickle slice that one of the DeLuca boys tossed against the stadium wall one day after removing it from a hamburger. It, or a facsimile, stayed there for years. Before Three Rivers turned to dust, "we scraped it off the wall, took it to Kinko's and had it laminated," Mr. DeLuca said.

There's a red-white-and-blue football that his mother, the late Violet DeLuca, hid in 1965 to stop him from throwing it against the walls.

"The day she was on her death bed, she told me there was a football hidden inside a plastic seasonal coat bag" in the closet, he said.

Kitty, his wife of 33 years, doesn't join her husband in his man cave. Though she loved Bradshaw and still follows the Steelers, she is more interested in learning to sew nowadays.

"When I hear screams coming from the basement, I flip the channel on to see what's going on," Mrs. DeLuca said.

This weekend, Mr. DeLuca will root for underdog teams, adding that he would like to see the New Orleans Saints go to the Super Bowl..

"It's really going to be hard watching any of those games, because I'll be crying black and gold tears."

In years when the team makes the playoffs, Mr. DeLuca puts tea lights in the chandelier, with gold balls and sconces made of 75th anniversary cups. He realizes his passion has gotten a little out of hand. He doesn't care.

"It looks like something in a Catholic church, like a novena for Chuck Noll and the Rooneys."

Marylynne Pitz can be reached at mpitz@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1648.

Doug Oster writes a blog, "Growing With Doug," exclusively at PG+, a members-only web site of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.

First published on January 9, 2010 at 12:00 am

Making Arians a scapegoat is unwarranted

Wednesday, January 06, 2010
By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin made all the predictable points in his season-ending session with the local sporting media yesterday. He talked of a "somber meeting" with his players Monday after their 9-7 finish left them out of the playoffs. He took "responsibility for everything" for the team falling short of its goal of winning another "Lombardi." He promised to make "appropriate changes" before next season.

But Tomlin didn't deliver the news that many people in Steelers Nation most wanted to hear. He didn't fire offensive coordinator Bruce Arians.

At least not yet.


Robin Rombach/Post-Gazette

Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward and offensive coordinator Bruce Arians.

You almost could hear the screams of anger around town, across the country and throughout the world in all places where the Terrible Towel is considered sacred.

At least two people are happy for now, though: Ben Roethlisberger and I.

And one of our opinions really should matter.

The Arians dismissal still could happen, of course. ESPN Radio 1250 reported yesterday afternoon that Tomlin will fire him, perhaps before the end of the week. For his part, Tomlin announced that quarterbacks coach Ken Anderson is retiring but wouldn't discuss his plans for the rest of his staff, begging off the topic until after he meets with each coach later this week.

I'm hoping the radio report is wrong. I can't think of one good reason why the Rooneys and/or Tomlin would make that move with Arians. They are too smart to try to placate the frustrated masses by giving them his head. Arians doesn't deserve that. Letting him go would be a huge mistake. It wouldn't rectify what really ails the Steelers. It only would add to their troubles.

Listen ... . There are those screams again.

I'm sorry, I've never seen as much irrational animosity directed at one coordinator as there was toward Arians this season. In a lot of ways, his offense was magnificent. Roethlisberger had his best year as a quarterback. Wide receivers Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes, tight end Heath Miller and running back Rashard Mendenhall put up huge numbers. Certainly, Arians' offense isn't the primary reason the Steelers are out of the postseason. It ranks a distant third behind the overrated defense and the underachieving special teams on the list of causes for the mess that Tomlin is trying to sort through this week.

Today's NFL isn't your father's NFL. It's no longer strictly about power football -- "3 yards and a cloud of dust" if you will. It's about being able to beat increasingly complicated defensive schemes by throwing the football often and with great precision.

The NFL's top 10 passing teams this season were Houston, Indianapolis, New England, New Orleans, San Diego, Dallas, Green Bay, Minnesota, Philadelphia and the Steelers. How much do you want to bet that one team from that list wins the Super Bowl next month and a second team plays in it?

The top 10 rushing teams were the New York Jets, Tennessee, Carolina, Miami, Baltimore, New Orleans, Dallas, Cleveland, Cincinnati and Jacksonville. Only New Orleans and Dallas from that group would appear to be capable of winning the title.

Arians is no kid -- he's 57 -- but he has kept up with the times.

He gets it.

It's hard to say that same thing about many Steelers fans. They conveniently forget that Arians' offense was plenty good enough to help the team win the championship last season, especially during a magical fourth-quarter drive in Super Bowl XLIII. But they can't wait to blame him for the failures this season, unfair as that blame is. If I received a nickel every time somebody said he needs to be more committed to the running game, I'd be a wealthy man. It's ridiculous.

Do those people really believe it was Arians' fault that the Steelers blew five fourth-quarter leads in losses this season?

Roethlisberger is another guy who gets it. You can say he has a biased opinion about the passing game, and I won't argue. Any great quarterback -- and Big Ben clearly is among the two or three greatest in the game today -- likes throwing the ball more than handing it off. It's no wonder he loves his offense just as it is.

But Roethlisberger has been extraordinarily productive under Arians. This season, he threw for a team-record 4,328 yards with a 100.5 passer rating. He had 26 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. It's indisputable that he and his offense did their part and more to help the team try to get back to the playoffs and have a chance to defend its title.

But there's more to it than just numbers.

Roethlisberger has a wonderful working relationship with Arians. That should not be underestimated. The Steelers have $102 million invested in their quarterback. They should be doing everything they can -- within reason -- to keep him happy.

Firing Arians won't do that.

Nor will making Roethlisberger work with a new coordinator and learn a new system when there really was nothing wrong with his offense as it was.

That's not just wrong.

It's unnecessary.

Ron Cook can be reached at rcook@post-gazette.com.

First published on January 6, 2010 at 12:00 am

Here's why Steelers failed

Tuesday, January 05, 2010
By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/

After further review, disappointment and frustration are not the best words to describe the Steelers in those hurtful moments Sunday after they realized there would be no New Year's miracle and they would not be going to the playoffs.

Bewilderment and disbelief are.

Tackle Willie Colon best put it into words.

"You keep asking yourself, 'How did we get in this position?' "


Peter Diana/Post-Gazette

Steelers kicker Jeff Reed missed to field goals in a 17-14 loss at Chicago, Sept. 20.

Well, I'm here this morning to answer that question, not just for Colon and the fellas, but for anyone else who can't quite believe the defending Super Bowl champions are out after being 6-2 at midseason.

No need to thank me.

• The Steelers failed because of a 17-14 loss in Chicago Sept. 20 ...

The defense blows a 14-7 lead in the fourth quarter, a portent of many bad days to come. There will be fourth-quarter collapses in four more defeats. Kicker Jeff Reed -- perhaps the team's most reliable player -- misses field-goal tries from 38 and 43 yards. He will make 25 of his next 27 kicks, missing only from 52 and 53 yards. An embarrassed Reed says, "If there's one player who can single-handedly lose a game, I'll take credit for it."

• The Steelers failed because of a 23-20 loss in Cincinnati Sept. 27 ...

They lose for the first time in nine games at Paul Brown Stadium despite leading, 20-9, in the fourth quarter. Wide receiver Limas Sweed drops what should be a 34-yard touchdown pass. Bengals cornerback Johnathan Joseph intercepts a Ben Roethlisberger pass when wide receiver Santonio Holmes turns the wrong way and returns it 30 yards for a touchdown. Running back Rashard Mendenhall is benched on offense because he -- in coach Mike Tomlin's words -- "wasn't on his details this week." An already baffled Colon says, "It's just a numbing feeling right now."

• The Steelers failed because of another loss to the Bengals, this one, 18-12, at Heinz Field Nov. 15 ...

The Bengals' Bernard Scott returns a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown. Safety Ryan Clark drops a fourth-quarter interception. The offense moves inside the Bengals' 12 on four occasions, settling for a field goal each time. Roethlisberger has a 51.5 passer rating. A humbled Big Ben says, "I played bad."

• The Steelers failed because of a 27-24 overtime loss at Kansas City Nov. 22 ...

Just when you thought you couldn't possibly see another kickoff return for a touchdown, the Chiefs' Jamaal Charles takes the opening kick 97 yards for a score. That makes four in five games by an opponent, tying an NFL single-season record. The defense blows a late 24-17 lead, giving up 30- and 47-yard passes on consecutive plays, then giving up another 61-yarder in overtime. Cornerback Ike Taylor drops an interception moments earlier in overtime. Tight end Heath Miller -- maybe the team's most dependable player if Reed isn't -- turns an easy catch into an interception when the ball clangs off his hands. Roethlisberger throws an interception from the Chiefs' 10 as he's hit and watches linebacker Andy Studebaker return it 94 yards to set up a field goal. Running back Mewelde Moore is stopped for a 3-yard loss on third-and-2 at the Chiefs' 35 in overtime as the offense wastes a 516-yard day. A contrite Tomlin says, "I have to have this football team better prepared to play."

• The Steelers failed because of a 20-17 overtime loss in Baltimore Nov. 29 ...

Roethlisberger is held out because of a concussion late in the Kansas City game, leading to a national flap when wide receiver Hines Ward appears to question his toughness. Ward apologizes to Roethlisberger but says his words were misconstrued. Second-year man Dennis Dixon fills in admirably in his first significant NFL appearance but throws a crushing interception in overtime after the defense couldn't hold a 17-14 lead late in regulation. A steely Tomlin promises the team will "unleash hell."

• The Steelers failed because of a 27-24 home loss to the Oakland Raiders Dec. 6 ...

Tomlin's fightin' words seem hollow after the defense collapses, wasting 10-6, 17-13 and 24-20 leads in the fourth quarter. Rookie cornerback Joe Burnett drops what should have been an interception on the Raiders' winning drive. Roethlisberger slips and comes up short on a fourth-and-1 sneak from the Oakland 5. A pessimistic Taylor describes the team's playoff chances as "slimmer than a dog on a diet."

• The Steelers failed because of a 13-6 loss at Cleveland Dec. 10 ...

The team's fifth consecutive defeat is the most painful, ending a 12-game winning streak against the woeful Browns. The defense is shredded for 171 rushing yards by the NFL's worst offense. Roethlisberger's offense can't get a touchdown against the league's worst defense, which is playing without five injured starters. He is sacked eight times. Realistic-to-the-bone nose tackle Casey Hampton says of those fading playoff hopes, "It's a wrap, man. This [bleep] is a wrap."

And so it was.

The Steelers won their final three games to finish 9-7, but it wasn't enough. For the second time in five years, they didn't even make the playoffs after winning the Super Bowl.

The disappointment and frustration are understandable.

The bewilderment and disbelief are not.

The reasons for the Steelers' failure are quite clear.

Ron Cook can be reached at rcook@post-gazette.com.

First published on January 5, 2010 at 12:00 am

Parker shows burst in possible finale

By John Harris, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/
Monday, January 4, 2010

MIAMI - Willie Parker said goodbye the right way on Sunday.

It was 2007 all over again, when Parker led the NFL in rushing until breaking his leg late in the season.

Or 2005-2006, with the Steelers putting the ball and the outcome of games in Parker's capable hands.

PITTSBURGH - OCTOBER 25: Willie Parker #39 of the Pittsburgh Steelers runs against the Minnesota Vikings at Heinz Field on October 25, 2009 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh won 27-17. (Getty Images)

Time after time in the closing five minutes, with starting running back Rashard Mendenhall watching from the sideline, the Steelers called Parker's number, choosing the run over the pass in a surprising about-face.

Parker was a fixture in the Steelers' final drive, which resulted in Jeff Reed's 33-yard field goal in a 30-24 win over the Miami Dolphins.

"They just said, 'Three-nine. Get in there,' and a smile came to my face,'' Parker said of his late-game insertion.

You remember Parker - No. 39 - don't you?

He's the third-leading rusher in Steelers history, with 5,378 career yards on 1,253 carries and 24 touchdowns.

His 75-yard burst against Seattle in Super Bowl XL is the longest run from scrimmage in Super Bowl history.

Left tackle Max Starks, who played right tackle against the Seahawks, still recalls the run with vivid clarity.

"Willie and I came in the league together as snot-nosed rookies," Starks said. "We fought though a lot of adversity and a lot of changes. I look back to our second year. He became a starter, and I became a starter, and we won the Super Bowl.

"I remember blocking down on (Seattle linebacker) Lofa Tatupu and springing Willie on that touchdown run. You look back and say that was a hell of a run.''

And now it's over. Parker, an unrestricted free agent, likely played his final game with the Steelers on Sunday.

Given that Mendenhall was a first-round pick a year ago and became a starter this season, Parker is no longer a good fit in the offense.

"I'm a starter,'' said Parker, who carried 12 times for 91 yards against the Dolphins. "Until I hang up the pads, that's what I'm going to look at myself as.''

The more Parker spoke, the more emotional he became.

He addressed the team that brought him in as an undrafted free agent from North Carolina, and the fans who knew him as Fast Willie Parker.

"If that's the last you see of Willie Parker, I want to thank the organization, thank the fans for embracing me," he said. "Knowing the college career that I had, I came here and really did some things. I had six great years with the Steelers.''

The last two years weren't so great for Parker.

Slowed by knee and shoulder injuries, Parker rushed for 791 yards in 2008 following three consecutive 1,200-yard-plus seasons.

This season was much worse for Fast Willie, who - because of a painful case of turf toe - at times resembled Slow Willie.

Parker rushed for only 389 yards and failed to run for a touchdown for only the second time in his career.

"It was tough," he said. "At times, I was frustated, and I really felt like hurting somebody. But I talked to my teammates, I prayed a lot, I talked to my family, and they kind of kept me up, kept a smile on my face.

"I love these guys, I love this organization. I'm a Steeler right now. Just see what happens in the future.''

Parker displayed yesterday he can still play the game. His burst was back, and he hit the holes with speed and power.

His 34-yard sprint late in the contest was his longest run of the season.

"If Willie's not back next year, I''ll be cheering for him - I'll always be a fan of No. 39,'' Starks said. "You give him a two-back situation (with another team), I think he can be a great back.''

Steelers' painful season fittingly ended

Monday, January 04, 2010
By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports

MIAMI -- You can argue from now until next season that it's a crying shame the Steelers missed the playoffs despite playing some of their best ball down the stretch and winning their final three games. I look at it differently. I say it would have been an injustice of incredible magnitude if they had snuck in despite that hideous five-game losing streak that started at midseason.

Almost always, you get what you deserve in life.

Clearly, the Steelers don't deserve to play in this postseason because of their losses to three of the NFL's 98-pound weaklings -- the Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders and Cleveland Browns.

Really, that's obvious, isn't it?

"Ain't no one to blame but the Steelers," safety Ryan Clark said, getting it exactly right.


Peter Diana/Post-Gazette

Steelers wide receiver Santonio Holmes celebrates his touchdown with teammate Hines Ward during yesterday's game at Landshark Stadium in Miami.

Disappointment was evident in every corner of the team's locker room yesterday after its 30-24 victory against the Miami Dolphins. The players quickly found out their playoff chances were all but doomed because the Houston Texans scored three fourth-quarter touchdowns to beat the New England Patriots, 34-27. They were officially eliminated when the Baltimore Ravens wrapped up a 21-13 victory against the Raiders last night about the time the Steelers' flight was supposed to land in Pittsburgh.

The anguish was especially clear at wide receiver Hines Ward's locker. His pain had little to do with two hamstrings that ached so badly that he had a hard time pulling on his socks. It had much more to do with the awful reality that the Steelers weren't going to get the opportunity to make it three Super Bowls in five seasons.

"We just couldn't stop the bleeding and it came back to haunt us," Ward said of that five-game losing streak. "It's a shame. We've got a good team. We just didn't play good football in November ...

"I'm glad that we finished the year 3-0. But I'm not a moral-victory guy. Expectations are high around here. I don't know what to say except to apologize to our fans for not getting them to where we are supposed to be. To win the Super Bowl one year and not even get in the next, it's disappointing."

It's embarrassing, actually.

Certainly, injuries were a part of it. If I'm ranking the most indispensable Steelers, I put quarterback Ben Roethlisberger No. 1, safety Troy Polamalu No. 2 and defensive end Aaron Smith No. 3. The team had to play most of the season without Polamalu and Smith. They also lost an important division game at Baltimore Nov. 29 without the concussed Roethlisberger.

But there are no excuses for losing to the Chiefs, Raiders at home and Browns. The Chiefs had gone 4-30 in their previous 34 games before they beat the Steelers Nov. 22. The Raiders had scored 10 touchdowns in 11 games before they scored three in the fourth quarter to stun the Steelers Dec. 6. The Browns had the NFL's worst defense before they kept the Steelers' offense out of the end zone Dec. 10.

That's way beyond disappointing or even embarrassing.

That's why people who blame the Steelers' predicament on the Indianapolis Colts for tanking their game against the New York Jets last week or on the Patriots for blowing a late 27-13 lead yesterday are dead wrong.

When you start the season 14-0, as the Colts did, you earned the right to get ready for the playoffs any way you see fit. If that means sitting quarterback Peyton Manning and doing consequential damage to the Steelers' playoff hopes, so be it.

When you wrap up your division early, as the Patriots did, you don't have to play quarterback Tom Brady on the final drive against the Texans with the game still on the line. If Patriots coach Bill Belichick deserves criticism for anything, it's for keeping Brady in the game as long as he did or even for playing star wide receiver Wes Welker at all. Welker left early with what appeared to be a serious knee injury. I'm sure there are a lot of fans in New England who wish the Patriots had taken the game yesterday a lot less seriously.

Many people in Steelers Nation seem to forget that their favorite team, after wrapping up the division title in 2004, chose to sit Roethlisberger and running back Jerome Bettis in the final regular-season game at Buffalo. Those same people have some nerve for criticizing the Colts for sitting Manning.

"You know how that goes," Steelers tackle Willie Colon said, rolling his eyes. "When your team does it, it's good, smart football getting ready for the playoffs. When another team does it to you, they're cowards.

"No matter what, this all comes back to us. You keep asking yourself, 'How did we get in this position? If we had just won one of those five games ... ' "

If.

What is a shame is that the Steelers just might have been able to do some damage in the playoffs. Their defense, after looking as if it would blow one final fourth-quarter lead yesterday, stiffened at the end with interceptions by Clark and cornerback Ike Taylor. And their offense, which scored 30, 23 and 37 points in games since that fiasco in Cleveland ...

"Our offense is unbelievable right now," Clark said. "That would scare a lot of teams."

Added Colon, "I don't think any team would want to see us in the postseason. Everybody knows that."

Of course, no team has to face the Steelers in these playoffs.

The Steelers didn't qualify.

This painful season, that's just as it should be.


Ron Cook can be reached at rcook@post-gazette.com.

First published on January 4, 2010 at 12:00 am

On The Penguins: Team of the '60s

Some pretty good players wore a Penguins sweater, even in the early years of the franchise when it was young and so was the arena it called home.

Sunday, January 03, 2010
By Dave Molinari, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/

It's easy to forget a lot that has happened to the Penguins since they entered the NHL in 1967.

Sometimes, that's a good thing.

After all, what fan who is emotionally invested in the team wants to dwell on multiple bankruptcies, that 15-year, 42-game winless streak in Philadelphia, or the Penguins' failure to qualify for the playoffs for six consecutive springs in the mid- to late 1980s?


Clockwise from bottom, goalie Les Binkley, Ron Schock, Bob Woytowich, Jean Pronovost, Ken Schinkel, Keith McCreary and Duane Rupp.

But even in the darkest of times, some pretty good players wore a Penguins sweater, and that sparked the idea of selecting an all-decade team for each of the five (or portions thereof) the franchise has spent at Mellon Arena, which is in its final season as their home.

The idea will be not simply to identify the 12 most talented forwards and six most skilled defensemen for each 10-season block, but to assemble a team that follows the rough template of the 2009-10 Penguins: Two lines counted on to drive the offense, a third that's good at both ends and an "energy line" that blends physicality with responsible defense. Ideally, the blue-line pairings offer a balance of offense and defense.

Players were selected on the basis of their performance for the Penguins, during the period for which the choices were made. (For example, Hall of Fame defenseman Tim Horton will not make the team from the 1970s, because he played just 48 games as a Penguin.) Also, forwards had to have been used at the position for which they were picked.

Members of the first team, culled from guys who played for the Penguins during their first three seasons in the NHL, were selected by Jack Riley, the first general manager in franchise history. Seemed only right, since he was the guy who actually did put Penguins rosters together 40 or so winters ago.

For purposes of this feature -- and to give Mr. Riley a slightly larger talent pool from which to make his choices -- the decades will break down this way: 1967-68 through 1969-70, 1970-71 through 1979-80, 1980-81 through 1989-90, 1990-91 through 1999-2000, and 2000-01 through Present.

Thumbnail notes

Bathgate: Excellent skater and puckhandler, with powerful slap shot.

Binkley: Posted six shutouts during franchise's first season.

Boivin: Fierce hitter who excelled in own end.

Briere: Breathtaking offensive talent mortally injured in auto accident after rookie season.

Burns: Unflappable, and great defensive forward.

Dea: Solid two-way contributor.

Fonteyne: Good at both ends, strong penalty-killer.

Ingarfield: Hard worker, good skater and team guy.

MacNeil: Played body well, could move puck.

McCallum: Rugged, hard hitter.

McCreary: Good leader who played outstanding defense.

McDonald: Creative offensively, reliable defensively.

Prentice: Underrated and versatile, and he didn't mind doing the dirty work.
Price: Dependable, steady presence on blue line.

Pronovost: Consistent, tenacious, superb goal-scorer.

Rupp: An under-appreciated asset.

Schinkel: Capable scorer on teams that needed goals.

Schock: Dependable all over ice, good intangibles.

Smith: Could throw punches as well as stop pucks.

Woytowich: Steady, smart and commander of his own Polish Army.

Dave Molinari can be reached at DWMolinari@Yahoo.com.

Penguins Plus, a blog by Dave Molinari and Shelly Anderson, is featured exclusively on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.

First published on January 3, 2010 at 12:00 am

PDF
• Jack riley's team of the 1960s

Steelers OLB Harrison will flop if its needed

By Mark Kaboly, MCKEESPORT DAILY NEWS
Saturday, January 2, 2010

The reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year James Harrison was assured by officials during the preseason that if he was held during a game that a penalty flag would be thrown.

Call him naive, but Harrison believed what the officials were telling him ... until the holds kept coming and few flags followed.

PITTSBURGH - OCTOBER 25: James Harrison #92 and LaMarr Woodley #56 of the Pittsburgh Steelers celebrate Harrison's sack on Brett Favre #4 of the Minnesota Vikings at Heinz Field on October 25, 2009 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh won 27-17. (Getty Images)

So to combat that, Harrison decided to take matters into his own hands - or at least that's what Cleveland tackle Joe Thomas believes.

After the Steelers lost to the Browns a few weeks ago, Thomas said Harrison is getting a reputation for flopping when the outside linebacker thinks he is being held.

"It's something Harrison has been doing," Thomas told The Cleveland Plain Dealer. "It seems like he didn't do it last year. Now, he's kind of perfected it. I don't know if he has a reputation yet, but I know after this year he will."

The only two holding calls against Thomas this year were against Harrison.

"Basically, as you push him by, he'll just throw his arms up in the air and his feet and try to make it look like you threw him down," Thomas said.
Harrison did not deny Thomas' allegation but instead explained his mindset.

"Tell Joe he can say whatever he wants to say, if you hold me, I will do whatever I can to get that call," Harrison said Wednesday, making his first public comment on the issue.

Harrison said that the lack of holding calls are getting worse compared to a year ago.

"I bet I can go to the league office, and you can (find) at least three or four holds a game (on film) over the course of a season," Harrison said. "What's that — 50-something holds a year that they didn't call?

"What else you want me to do? I am having guys grabbing me around my neck and slamming me to the ground, and they are not called. They said they were going to enforce that rule."

Defensive end Brett Keisel, who plays on the same side of the Steelers defense as Harrison, doesn't agree with Thomas' assessment.

"(Harrison) doesn't flop," Keisel said. "He gets held every play. He may get one call a game. Joe is the worst holder in the league, so I don't know what he is talking about."

Whether it is him getting held or seeing more double-teams, Harrison's numbers have evaporated over the past month.

Through the first 10 games, Harrison had 10 sacks and 18 hurries. Since them, he has no sacks and only four hurries.

"He is getting triple-teamed and chipped and things like that," Keisel said. "He is a great player. That is why offenses do what they do."

Harrison, who set a franchise record with 16 sacks in 2008, isn't worried about his decreased stats.

"It is more than a compliment than anything," Harrison said. "They feel like they need two or three guys to block me. If you do that, then they are going to leave somebody else on the back end, and that's (fellow outside linebacker LaMarr) Woodley, and he has done a great job."

Woodley has 6.5 sacks over the past five games and has taken the team lead in the category away from Harrison. Woodley has 91/2 of his 111/2 sacks over the past seven games and has at least a half sack in each of those games.

"Other people have to step up, and that has been Woodley," Keisel said.
Woodley, meanwhile, came to Harrison's defense on the flopping allegation.

"Maybe when they hold him, it isn't a flop," he said. "Maybe they are holding on to him and pulling him down."

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Steelers LB tempers hopes

Crosby's plate already full for '10

Friday, January 01, 2010
By Shelly Anderson, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/

Of all the Penguins, Sidney Crosby seems to be the most particular about his skates. He has them sharpened all the time.

The year that starts today, 2010, will be a lot like those blades he motors around with -- never a dull moment for the center and team captain.

PITTSBURGH - DECEMBER 23: Forward Sidney Crosby(notes) #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins threads a pass past forward Jarkko Ruutu(notes) #73 of the Ottawa Senators on December 23, 2009 at Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Crosby had three assists in Pittsburgh's 8-2 win over Ottawa. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

Today would be relatively routine for Crosby, with a practice and flight to Tampa for tomorrow's afternoon game against the Lightning, except that he also has a new commercial airing on NBC during the Winter Classic.

Things will ramp up significantly in the coming weeks.

Crosby this week was named as an alternate captain for Team Canada and will undoubtedly get rock-star treatment in Vancouver during the Winter Olympics in February. It will be his first time playing in the Games.

When he and a handful of Penguins teammates return from Vancouver, Crosby will take on the task of captaining the club down the stretch of the NHL schedule and, most likely, into the playoffs, where the team will attempt to repeat as the Stanley Cup champion.

The ending to that chapter, good or bad, will mark the closing of 49-year-old Mellon Arena.

In the summer, Crosby hopes to hold his first signature fundraising event for the new Sidney Crosby Foundation. He'll also sneak in his 23rd birthday.

Then he will help christen Consol Energy Center as he launches into his sixth NHL season.

That's a pretty busy start to a decade in which he should hit his prime as an athlete.

"I don't think you try to look at it as a whole like that," Crosby said. "It can be pretty overwhelming maybe. But you look forward to all those things. You look forward to those challenges."

Crosby wasn't picked for the Olympics as an 18-year-old NHL rookie. While he's looking forward to taking the world stage in his native Canada, he's mindful of the aftereffects.

"I've played in the world junior [championships]," he said. "That was pretty emotional. I remember the first week or so after being pretty easy to be into things. You're looking forward to being with your teammates, things like that.

"It's more like a week after that it gets tougher. Your adrenaline kind of settles down as you get back into the grind."

Until the postseason, anyway, when the blood gets pumping again.

One thing Crosby can't look forward to is the prospect of being the youngest captain to hoist the Cup -- he already accomplished that in June -- but he would love to see the Penguins give the Igloo a championship sendoff.

"That's the perfect ending to the story," Crosby said. "Hopefully that's what happens."

Moving across the street to Consol Energy Center will bring mixed feelings.
"It's a building that's got a lot of history, a lot of tradition," Crosby said of Mellon (formerly Civic) Arena. "Everyone's looking forward to the new rink, but at the same time I think this has been a rink -- whether it's players or fans -- with a lot of memories."

A creature of habit and superstition, Crosby might have a bit of a hard time adjusting to new surroundings.

"Yeah, it's going to be weird," he said. "I've already thought about it. It's just a lot of things. You just get so used to things. It's like when you're in your own house -- some people spend more time in the living room or in the basement, little things like that.

"This has been our home rink. You get to know the people who work in the same places, whether it's the guys working security or parking attendants."

It's possible that won't be his only new home in the coming year.

During the months of the season, Crosby so far in his career has lived with the family of Hall of Famer and co-owner Mario Lemieux. He has been house-hunting in recent years and hopes to continue.

PHILADELPHIA - DECEMBER 17: Sidney Crosby(notes) #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins skates against Chris Pronger(notes) #20 on December 17, 2009 at Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Penguins defeated the Flyers 3-2 after a shootout. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

"If there's time and it's the right fit, then I'm happy to find a place," Crosby said.

"But I'm really lucky with my situation. I don't have the pressure to move out. If the right place comes along, I'm ready to move."

That would make 2010 even more eventful for the young star. He remains undaunted.

"You want a little bit of new things," Crosby said. "When you're talking about a new arena, the Olympics, these are pretty amazing things to be a part of, pretty special and unique.

"You just appreciate those things and try to do the best you can with whatever situation comes."

NOTES -- Lemieux was appointed an officer within the Order of Canada. ... The Penguins had the day off yesterday. ... Crosby and teammate Max Talbot are featured in the Reebok ad that will debut today. The two are in Crosby's re-created family basement shooting pucks at the dryer Crosby dinged up when he missed the net while practicing growing up. ... The Team USA hockey roster for Vancouver will be announced after the Winter Classic.

Photo Credit: AP

For more on the Penguins, read the new Pens Plus blog with Dave Molinari and Shelly Anderson at www.post-gazette.com/plus. Shelly Anderson can be reached at shanderson@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1721.

Penguins Plus, a blog by Dave Molinari and Shelly Anderson, is featured exclusively on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.

First published on January 1, 2010 at 12:00 am

Roethlisberger selected as Steelers' MVP

QB players' choice only five times in award's history

Friday, January 01, 2010
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/

The only surprising thing about Ben Roethlisberger earning the Steelers' MVP award yesterday is that it is the quarterback's first such honor.

Roethlisberger returns Sunday to the place where it all began for him, in Miami in 2004 in a hurricane's wake. It was his first start in a remarkable season that was like no other; he became the only rookie quarterback in history to win all 13 starts.

And it only got better: two Super Bowl victories, one in which he took over on the winning last-minute drive, and most every Steelers passing record within his grasp. Many of those were set this season when he became the first Steelers quarterback to pass for 500 yards in a game and the first to pass for 4,000 yards in a season.

Yet when it comes to voting, Steelers players long have been reluctant to cast their ballots for a quarterback. Roethlisberger becomes only the fifth team MVP from his position in the 41 years the award has been given out. Kordell Stewart was the most recent quarterback to win, in 2001. Neil O'Donnell earned MVP in 1995 and Terry Bradshaw in '77 and '78.

Of all Roethlisberger's spectacular success in past seasons, including his Pro Bowl year of 2007, this might be his best. He has passed for 4,108 yards in 14 games, and his 503-yard performance in a 37-36 victory against Green Bay likely was his best ever.

"Maybe," Roethlisberger said as to whether this has been his best of six seasons. "Statistically I think so in certain categories. I've never missed a practice. It's the first time in six years I've never missed a practice because of injury or whatever. So I think that has translated onto the football field and my play has been better.

"Whether it's the no-huddle or understanding offenses better, I think you can say it's been one of my better years."

Like his teammates, he has been disappointed with many aspects of the season, most notably the five-game losing streak after a 6-2 start, even though Santonio Holmes and Hines Ward have 1,000 yards receiving, Rashard Mendenhall topped 1,000 yards rushing and Heath Miller set the team tight end record with 71 receptions.

Yet they still have a chance, albeit slight, to squeeze into the playoffs with a victory in Miami, which is where Roethlisberger started it all.

That game, the fourth of the 2004 season, was pushed from afternoon to a night kickoff because a hurricane had roared through South Florida that weekend.

The night before, the power went out in the team hotel and the players sat in the hallway with flashlights telling stories.

"That was my first start and how nervous and literally scared I was sitting in that locker room, feeling like I was going to throw up because I just didn't know what to do," Roethlisberger said.

He completed 12 of 22 in the rain and mud for 163 yards, and he threw his first touchdown and first interception. He would not lose a start until the AFC championship game that season, and he won all the rookie of the year awards. In his second season, he became the youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl.

Charlie Batch, his veteran backup who came to the team in 2002, believes that first season by Roethlisberger changed the minds of others in the NFL about playing rookie quarterbacks.

"With him doing that I think it set the bar for other rookie quarterbacks coming in," Batch said. "That allowed other organizations to say 'Pittsburgh did it. Let's go out and throw our guy in there.' You have the classic example of the Jets and Mark Sanchez. And Atlanta [and Matt Ryan] last year."

The nearly six full seasons since that first start in Miami have covered a lot of ground for Roethlisberger, on and off the field. Only one season ended in regulation, 2006, with this one threatening to end Sunday.

"I was talking to Charlie the other day, to think I've known him for six years and been dong this for now six years, it's been a crazy roller coaster."

Roethlisberger is the first alternate for the Pro Bowl and likely will be added to the roster if the Steelers are not involved in the playoffs because those from Super Bowl teams will not participate in the Jan. 31 all-star game.

"To me, it's never about those awards," Roethlisberger said. "To me it's about winning games and championships. We'll try to get into the playoffs and see what we can do."

Injury report

Hines Ward did not practice again yesterday and it's possible he could miss his first game in two seasons. He has two hamstring injuries. Defensive end Brett Keisel (stinger) also did not practice. Troy Polamalu went through another limited practice, and it appears he will not play Sunday, missing his seventh consecutive game with a sprained PCL.

Photo Credits: Getty Images

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First published on January 1, 2010 at 12:00 am

Rare interview set tone for Clemente legacy

By Danny Torres
Special to the Puerto Rico Daily Sun
http://www.prdailysun.com/
December 31, 2009

NEW YORK- Whether it was in his native Puerto Rico or in the blue collar city of Pittsburgh, Roberto Clemente was revered by countless fans who witnessed an extraordinary baseball player. Yet, 37 years after his untimely death on December 31, 1972, Clemente is remembered as much for his remarkable humanitarian work as he is for his spectacular catches and brilliant hitting.

It was on what has been described as a “mission of mercy,” Clemente’s ill-fated trip aboard a DC-7 plane, that the hall of famer demonstrated his dedication to humanity. Clemente was en route to Nicaragua transporting much-needed food, clothing and medical supplies to aid the suffering in Managua. A devastating earthquake hit the capital city with such force that it claimed countless lives, destroyed neighborhoods, and interrupted the food supply.

There were no media on board. No pictures taken. No fanfare.

As 1973 began, many were completely stunned at the unexpected tragedy of Clemente’s passing.

Many wondered, is this the same Clemente, the baseball player?

I never knew he was that type of person. Didn’t he just get his 3,000th hit?

Wait a minute . . . he was doing what? Collecting food? Raising funds?

Hosting baseball clinics for children?

Leaving on New Year’s Eve?

There was one person who, upon hearing the heartbreaking news, wasn’t completely shocked. On the contrary, what immediately stuck out was the memorable conversation he had had with Clemente three months prior.

Historic sit-down

Unquestionably, Sam Nover knew the real Roberto Clemente and became intertwined with his legacy when on October 8, 1972 he conducted what was Clemente’s first and only one-on-one, in-studio interview. That was 37 years ago.

Nover, who retired in 2001, arrived in Pittsburgh in 1970. As the sports director for WIIC-TV Channel 11, he planned his historic 30-minute sit-down with Clemente for close to a year.

“I was so overwhelmed at the responses,” said Nover. “The interview allowed people to see a side of him that they had never seen before. It was a conversation you wouldn’t normally hear him talk about, subjects he wouldn’t normally broach.”

Nover, who grew up in Detroit, was from an American League city. His idol was Al Kaline.

“Clemente was not the icon to me that he was for everyone else who had seen him play,” stated Nover. “Eventually I got to see him play every day and grew to appreciate his enormous ability and incredible dedication to the game.”

As a member of the working media, Nover was often inside of the Pirates clubhouse. Yet, as he recalls, Clemente was a puzzling character.

“Clemente didn’t invite you in. My first year I was afraid to go up to his locker,” recalled Nover. “I was intimidated because he wasn’t warm and inviting. But once I got to know him, the intimidation factor went away.”

Having the opportunity to grab an unforgettable interview in the twilight of Clemente’s career, Nover was able to ask engaging questions and Clemente was very forthright in sharing his personal thoughts.

He talked about people he idolized such as John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr. and Luis Muñoz Marín.

No sale

Although Clemente was a prominent sports figure, as a proud, black Puerto Rican he was also fully aware of his nationality. Nover recalls one particular incident in a furniture showroom in New York City. Clemente and his wife Vera were shopping and walked into the store.

“We would like to see the furniture downstairs in your showroom,” Clemente asked.

The salesman responded, “You don’t have enough money.”

“I would like to see it because I have a right to see it as a human being, as a person that may buy from you,” Clemente demanded.

Nover said that Clemente remembered he had $5,000 in his wallet. He showed the salesman the money.

“Do you think this is enough to buy it?”

“Once the salesman found out it was Clemente, he stated that they had seven floors of furniture and told Clemente that he thought he was a poor Puerto Rican,” recalled Nover.

This particular incident angered Clemente and he responded emphatically.

“I don’t care if I am Puerto Rican or Jewish,” said Clemente. “You see, this is what really gets me mad: because I am Puerto Rican, you treat me differently from other people. I have the same American money that you are asking for. I don’t want to buy your furniture.”

He walked out.

Lasting legacy

Although the original TV studio in Pittsburgh where Nover held court with Clemente no longer exists, I asked Nover if he thought Clemente, then 38 years old, would have continued playing baseball.

“I honestly believe if Clemente didn’t perish in that plane, he would have played a few more years,” said Nover. “I also believe he would have made sure that Sports City exceeded his expectations. He would have run for political office. He would have been the Puerto Rican equivalent to someone like Kennedy.”

And the most memorable moment that Clemente shared with you?

“The most prophetic thing that Clemente said to me, and I will never forget it, was wanting to live long enough to watch his three sons grow up and become mature, respectful people and that in return they would also be respected,” said Nover. “And then he dies three months later. To this day, it gives me goosebumps.”

The legacy of Roberto Clemente Walker, 37 years after his death, continues to transfigure people throughout the world, bestowing a message of racial harmony, unselfishness and dignity.

In the unfathomable depths off Puerto Rico, a man died attempting to help others. He left behind the power of his example. And for this, every Puerto Rican should pause, reflect, and never forget the memory of “The Great One,” Roberto Clemente Walker. For he represents the best of who we are.

Descanse en paz, Roberto.


Contributing sportswriter Danny Torres lives in New York City. He can be contacted at clementenews21@aol.com.