Next step for Pirates is losing with style

By Jeff Passan
http://sports.yahoo.com/
January 13, 2012

2011 record: 72-90
Finish: Fourth place, NL Central
2011 final payroll: $51.8 million
Estimated 2012 opening day payroll: $44 million
Yahoo! Sports’ offseason rank: 27th

Andrew McCutchen celebrates his first inning solo home run with Neil Walker against the Houston Astros during the game on September 7, 2011 at PNC Park. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images North America)

To capitalize on the steps the Pittsburgh Pirates took last year, they went into this offseason with a plan: emulate the Houston Astros’ “Killer B’s” core of the 1990s. Fine, maybe not. Though what other explanation can the Pirates put forth after their big offseason maneuvers consisted of signing Clint Barmes, Erik Bedard and Rod Barajas – or, as they’re regarded around the sport, Blah, Blah and Blah.

Serviceable pieces they are. The centerpiece of a plan for a team that swears it’s committed to breaking a streak of losing seasons that could reach two decades this year? Not quite. The Pirates work within a budget. That budget calls for skinflint upgrades, if you want to call them that. Owners of bad teams have two choices: spend money in hopes of improving and drawing fans or skimp on payroll and pray management can fix things on the cheap. Pittsburgh owner Bob Nutting hails from school No. 2.

And so the Pirates gave Barmes $10.5 million (!) to play shortstop the next two years, Bedard $4.5 million for his cocktail of solid pitching and disabled-list frustration, and Barajas $4 million to not get on base. The Pirates also placed a $1.75 million bet on Nate McLouth not having lost all semblance of baseball skills, as it looked he had over the last 2½ years.

That is more than $20 million to essentially stay the same. Ronny Cedeno may not have Barmes’ pop; he also signed with the Mets for $1.1 million and has every bit the glove. Bedard replaces Paul Maholm, a homegrown player who commanded only a quarter-million more and offsets Bedard’s ceiling with consistency. Barajas certainly can catch the ball better than Ryan Doumit; he can’t hit like him, and Doumit went to Minnesota for $1 million less.

Gone, too, are Ryan Ludwick and Derrek Lee, the remnants of last season’s ill-advised go-for-it push in July. The Pirates sensed the NL Central was winnable when they were 53-47 and tied for first place July 25. They finished 24 games behind Milwaukee.

And neither of the three Blahs nor McLouth nor Casey McGehee, acquired in a trade for Jose Veras, can help change that. The Pirates exit this offseason as they entered it: hampered by, for lack of a better term, their utter Pirateness.

Reality check

The problem here, of course, is that the beginnings of a decent core do exist in Pittsburgh. Any team with Andrew McCutchen in center field cannot claim a bare cupboard. Neil Walker is among the 10 best second basemen in the major leagues. McCutchen is 25. Walker is 26. And by essentially throwing 2012, the Pirates are wasting a season of their best players’ primes and bringing them one year closer to free agency.

Pittsburgh needs to lock up McCutchen and Walker soon, which necessitates Nutting spending money, to which he has shown an aversion bordering on phobia. If Nutting throws a Justin Upton-level deal at McCutchen – six years and $60 million, buying out three years of free agency – it would be tough to turn down and guarantee the Pirates an All-Star-caliber center fielder through his prime. Walker’s case is a bit dodgier, especially since he remains a year from arbitration, but no harm in trying. The Pirates’ savvy spending in the draft and international free agency is no longer possible thanks to the new collective-bargaining agreement, which could free up a nice chunk of change for McCutchen and Walker.

Because with those two anchoring the middle of the field as well as the lineup, the Pirates can start building. Maybe Pedro Alvarez decides being fat isn’t as desirable as not being fat and regains his power swing. Perhaps Jose Tabata evolves from soft-swinging corner outfielder to something valuable. Who knows? Jeff Karstens and Charlie Morton could be late bloomers in the Pirates’ rotation, not severe regression candidates because of their awful strikeout rates. Relying on Morton in particular is risky on account of his high walk rate and almost-unsustainable home run rate.

Unless outfielder Alex Presley is a giant anomaly – the slugging 5-foot-9 outfielder – he’ll prove himself little more than a fourth outfielder in April. By which time the Pirates could again find themselves in a familiar spot toward the bottom of the division. Even if some talent feathers its way through the roster, Pittsburgh is dreadful in the field and bad on the basepaths. Its pitchers don’t strike out anyone and its hitters strike out way too much, especially for a group without the home run totals that can make Ks palatable.

“They’re sloppy,” one scout said, and that sounds about right. It takes institutional inadequacy to go 20 years without a winning season, and part of it goes back to the culture. If a team knows it can’t spend money, it must not just preach but practice the things in its realm: the defense, the baserunning, the strikethrowing – the fundamentals. It’s incumbent upon manager Clint Hurdle and GM Neal Huntington to stress this. Because even if they’re going to lose for another year – and they will – the Pirates don’t have to look like a mess doing it.

Savior

Hurry up, Jameson Taillon and Gerrit Cole. Doesn’t matter that Taillon is 20 and Cole 21, that Taillon has a year of professional ball under his belt and Cole not a single pitch. They are the best pitching-prospect duo in baseball, and even if odds say they’re not both going to be aces, the possibility of slotting them at the top of a rotation for six years makes the Pirates’ future far more palatable. Cole is the likelier of the two to reach the big leagues this season, perhaps less than a year after Pittsburgh chose him No. 1 in the draft. Taillon, the No. 2 pick in 2010, needs seasoning after spending last season in Class A. His arrival is likelier late 2013 or 2014. Still, it’s something, and with outfielders Josh Bell, Starling Marte and Robbie Grossman, plus more starting-pitching possibilities, the Pirates do boast one of the better farm systems in baseball. They’ve shown interest in Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, too, though at his expected $40 million price tag? Don’t forget: These still are the Pirates.

Pirates in Haiku

Two more losing years
And Pittsburgh’s futility
Can legally drink

NL Central spring training preview

By Cliff Corcoran
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/
February 16, 2012

Pittsburgh Pirates

The Big Question: Is Pedro Alvarez still a future star?

A year ago, Alvarez was coming off the big September surge that capped his rookie season, and was ripe with all of the promise one might expect from a slugger who was the second-overall pick in the 2008 draft and a top 10 prospect in all of baseball prior to the 2010 season.

In 2011, however, Alvarez didn't hit at all. He was batting .208/.283/.304 with just two home runs when a quadriceps injury shelved him for two months, and he was even worse after he returned, hitting just .173/.260/.273 with two more taters over his final 124 plate appearances, which surrounded a brief late-August demotion.

There was no silver-lining to that performance. Alvarez didn't just struggle, he was the 10th-worst hitter in baseball out of the 306 with 250 or more plate appearances last year, posting a 56 OPS+ (100 is average) that matched Adam Dunn's mark in his disastrous debut season with the White Sox. Alvarez is now 25 and a career .230/.304/.392 hitter in the major leagues. This is a player who was supposed to be a pillar of the Pirates rebuilding, a player many ranked ahead of Andrew McCutchen as a prospect. One has to wonder if that potential is still there, or, if not, how much of it remains.

The Big Battle: Leftfield

After making the All-Star team and winning an (undeserved) Gold Glove as the Pirates centerfielder in 2008, Nate McLouth was traded to the Braves in 2009 and hit just .229/.335/.364 in parts of three seasons with Atlanta. The Pirates brought McLouth back on a one-year deal this winter, and he'll likely challenge Alex Presley for the leftfield job this spring, though the 26-year-old Presley should prove victorious.

The Big Prospect: Gerrit Cole

The top pick in the 2011 draft is just one of three Pirates prospects, along with fellow righties Jameson Taillon and Luis Heredia, who could grow up to be legitimate major league aces. However, Cole, who made his professional debut in the Arizona Fall League after signing with the Pirates, is the only one of the three who will be in major league camp this spring.

A solid 6-foot-4, the 21-year-old Cole can hit triple-digits on the radar gun, compliments that heat with a wicked slider and above-average changeup and expects to be on the fast track to the major leagues, starting with a full-season assignment in April.


Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/cliff_corcoran/02/16/spring.training.preview.nl.central/index.html#ixzz1mjkdWLkZ

Photo: Matt Freed/Post-Gazette

A.J. deal will pay for Pirates

By Dejan Kovacevic, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/?_s_icmp=nav_sports
Friday, February 17, 2012

Seems there are two prominent schools of thought around here regarding the Pirates' pursuit of A.J. Burnett from the New York Yankees:

1. The Pirates will blow this. They won't meet the Yankees' demands, and they'll fall short again.

2. The Pirates will blow this. They'll overpay for this guy, and he'll be Matt Morris II.

Whichever result, obviously, will be catastrophic to the point of collapsing PNC Park.

Or everyone can just relax.

This will get done, as soon as this weekend.

And when it does, it will have been a bold, sharp major-league move by a franchise hardly known for either.

This is how the trade will go: The Yankees will cover roughly $20 million of the $33 million Burnett is owed over the final two seasons of his contract. The Pirates will cover the other $13 million. And because they'll cover so much, they'll part with no more than a couple of Class A prospects, neither among the system's best.

That's it.

The Yankees had pressed the Pirates to pay less money in hopes of getting a major-league player — Garrett Jones — or a top prospect. But the Pirates, admirably determined to give up money rather than baseball talent, never flinched.

They've known, no matter what silliness the Yankees floated through the media, that no other teams were pursuing Burnett at this level.

They've also known that the Yankees could use the cash. That sounds crazy when talking about the team with a $200 million payroll. But things are different in the Bronx under Hal and Hank Steinbrenner. There are limits to what general manager Brian Cashman can spend. Cashman's priority is to sign other players soon, and he needs the money that's freed up by this trade.

This is all good work by the Pirates, notably Frank Coonelly and Neal Huntington, setting up this scenario and being set to capitalize on it.

The more meaningful measure of the trade, of course, will be how Burnett pitches here.

If he puts up ERAs of 5.26 and 5.15, as he did the past two seasons in New York, then this will be just another Lyle Overbay/Matt Diaz mess of an evaluation by the Pirates. But I don't think that will happen, and I'll unleash my inner stats geek to illustrate why:

>> Burnett is 35, and his fastball is down from a career-peak 99 mph into the 92-93 mph range. But he still struck out 173 in 2011, which is 31 more than any Pirates pitcher in the past four seasons.

>> His past four seasons have reaped inning totals of 221, 207, 187 and 190. The Pirates have gotten only two 200-inning performances in that time. Ask Clint Hurdle how much innings matter to a manager.

>> The new Yankee Stadium, a bandbox of a ballpark, allowed the third-most home runs in the majors in 2011. PNC Park, which always has favored pitchers (except when Albert Pujols was up), allowed the sixth fewest. Burnett allowed a career-worst 31 home runs last season, at least some of which would have been outs at PNC.


Read more: Kovacevic: A.J. deal will pay for Pirates - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/s_782056.html#ixzz1meUg7kyN

Photo: Antonelli/Daily News

2012 MLB Season Preview: Pittsburgh Pirates

By Jonah Keri

http://www.grantland.com/

February 14, 2012

PITTSBURGH PIRATES

Pirates fans might not want to hear about rebuilding anymore, not after two decades of losing seasons. But the Pirates scored another bumper crop of talent in the 2011 amateur draft, and few if any teams now boast a deeper stable of high-impact pitching prospects. The Bucs are a still a long shot to contend this year. But you'll see good baseball again in Pittsburgh in the not-too-distant future. And once the Pirates graduate all that young talent to the majors, they'll have a chance to stay good for a while. Patience.

LINEUP

(Bill James projections: AVG/OBP/SLG, wOBA)

RF Jose Tabata (.283/.349/.387, .328)
LF Alex Presley (.301/.346/.445, .345)
CF Andrew McCutchen (.277/.368/.455, .360)
2B Neil Walker (.273/.332/.426, .329)
1B Garrett Jones (.261/.325/.451, .338)
3B Pedro Alvarez (.252/.332/.429, .333)
SS Clint Barmes (.248/.303/.393, .300)
C Rod Barajas (.224/.274/.403, .288)

The next time you find yourself complaining about the slow pace of games, save some love for the Pirates, who've done their part to end games quicker by signing Barmes and Barajas in the offseason, thereby ensuring three automatic outs at the bottom of the order. At least the rest of the lineup holds some promise. Presley enjoyed a nice little breakout season last year, if 52 games and a batting line enhanced by a .349 batting average on balls in play can be called a breakout. Tabata continued to show enough speed and on-base ability to be a half-decent leadoff option, even as his power potential remained dormant as he passed his 23rd birthday. McCutchen's developing into one of the best young players in baseball, and might have another gear or two left in his climb.

The difference-maker here, though, could be Alvarez. The no. 2 overall pick four years ago broke in with a strong rookie campaign in 2010, strafing right-handed pitching and posting an Isolated Slugging (slugging percentage minus batting average, a more complete gauge of power output than just home runs) over .200. But he fell apart last season, succumbing to injuries and a general case of the sucks. A week past his 25th birthday, Alvarez still has ample time to reclaim his power stroke and become the middle-of-the-order beast the Pirates hoped to get. If his cruddy defense eventually pushes him to first, the Bucs will live with it, so long as he's also blasting 30-plus bombs a year.

ROTATION

(Bill James projections: IP, FIP)

Charlie Morton (176, 4.01)
Erik Bedard (122, 3.31)
James McDonald (170, 4.07)
Kevin Correia (149, 4.32)
Jeff Karstens (135, 4.38)

Sadly, the notion that there's one word in Mandarin that means both "crisis" and "opportunity" is a myth. In English, however, there is one term that covers both: Pirates rotation. For a team trying to keep payroll in check while still tossing out some intriguing arms, the Pirates have done a nice job assembling this starting five. Bedard is the consummate wild card, a very good pitcher who can still strike out a batter an inning in a good season, but also a lock to miss a bunch of starts. The question every year is how many. He made 24 of them last year, enough to rack up 2.4 Wins Above Replacement for his two employers; the Bucs landing him on a one-year, $4.5 million deal makes all kinds of sense. Beyond Bedard Injury Watch, you've got Morton, the de facto staff ace who might miss a month or more owing to offseason hip surgery; McDonald, the talented but erratic right-hander who can't even manage six innings per start; Correia, the token veteran filler who's there to eat whatever innings he can before opponents start whacking his subpar stuff around; and Karstens, the ex-Yankee who pitched a hell of a lot better (and luckier) than anyone expected last season.

That is, unless the Pirates get A.J. Burnett. Who would ... wait for it ... likely give the team a nice boost. Look past Burnett's losing record and five-plus ERA over the past two years and consider this: He's been pitching in one of the worst possible environments for any right-handed pitcher, much less one who struggles with command and leaves balls up in the zone where they can be mashed. A move to the kinder, gentler NL Central, and away from the pitcher's horror show that is Yankee Stadium's short porch, would help. Burnett still throws in the low-to-mid 90s and still snaps off one of baseball's prettiest curveballs when he's on. If this deal costs next to nothing as expected, the Pirates get a badly needed jolt of depth for their rotation, with a hint of actual upside. In a perfect world, the Pirates get Good A.J., Bedard finally strings together 200 (great) innings, Morton comes back quicker than expected, and McDonald finally has his long-awaited breakout.

More realistically, it's another trial run to see what they have, while the Bucs wait for top prospects Gerrit Cole, Jameson Taillon, & Co. to advance through the system. Burnett aside, Edwin Jackson would've offered a nice bridge from present to future, but he took a one-year deal to play for the Nats rather than the three years, $30 million the Pirates offered him. Now, as ever, premium homegrown pitching talent is the commodity every team would kill to have; for a team like the Pirates that can't even give its money away (at least not yet), it's even more vital.

BREAKOUT PICK

McCutchen. Seems strange to predict a breakout for a player who was worth nearly six wins last season. But in his three big league seasons, McCutchen has now posted impressive power (23 homers, .198 ISO last year), a solid contact rate (84.6 percent), and big walk totals (89) … just not all in the same season. He's still just 25, and you can feel a consolidation season coming, where all of McCutchen's offensive skills come together and he challenges for league MVP honors, his team's record be damned.

IF EVERYTHING BREAKS RIGHT

Alvarez and McDonald join McCutchen in posting breakout seasons, the bullpen gets big results from pitchers not named Joel Hanrahan, Bedard stays healthy, Burnett's revitalized, and Neal Huntington pushes his chips in at the deadline following a surprising first three months. We're less than a week away from pitchers and catchers reporting, and no one yet knows whether or not we'll have two wild cards per league. If we do, and all of this clicks for the Bucs, we could see a pennant atmosphere by the three rivers for the first time since Kevin Young's heyday.

IF EVERYTHING GOES WRONG

Morton and Bedard can't manage 200 innings between them, Burnett pitches like the guy he's made out to be by every WFAN caller, Alvarez turns in a second straight bust of a season, Barmes and Barajas make outs so frequently that the commissioner rules they be exiled to Altoona In The Best Interests Of The Game, and McCutchen demands a trade, eventually landing in the Bronx in exchange for Bubba Crosby and the 56,182 bottles of sunscreen confiscated by overzealous ushers since new Yankee Stadium opened. Great for the fight against skin cancer, not so good for long-suffering Buc believers.

Highlights: Ducks 2, Penguins 1

Pittsburgh Pirates: A.J. Burnett Situation Showcases Lack of Direction

By James Krug
http://isportsweb.com/
February 12, 2012

Follow me on Twitter @jim_krug

As I alluded to in my most recent article, the Pittsburgh Pirates have been so terrible for so long that even when they want to bring in free agents that could potentially help reverse the team’s plight, the players don’t want to come here. It’s a Catch-22 of baseball boobery. As obvious as this seems, I doubt the Pirates actually expected this response; I believe they stubbornly assumed they could run a team however they liked, and then immediately flip a switch, and mid-range free agents would find Pittsburgh just as desirable as any other MLB franchise. Clearly not the case.

Which brings us to the A.J. Burnett trainwreck that is unfolding before our eyes. For some unexplained reason, Burnett never included the Pirates as one of the teams on his “do not trade” list during his last contract extension with the Yankees. As I write this at 6AM on Sunday morning, Burnett is not yet a Pirate- the deal seems hung up on the Pirates’ unwillingness to part with platoon OF Garrett Jones.  Regardless of whether Jones ends up in Pinstripes, at this point, my *guess* is that Burnett will be a Pirate by the start of Spring Training: The Yankees appear desperate to unload him and as much of his contract albatross as they can, while the Pirates suddenly seem desperate to add another SP, despite having all offseason to do so.

These negotiations uncomfortably showcase the overall failure of GM Neal Huntington and club President Frank Coonelly’s tenures, and baldly exemplify the team’s TOTAL lack of direction. Consider any of the following:

1. At the start of the offseason, the Pirates let SP Paul Maholm walk for absolutely nothing, refusing to pick up his 2 contract option years, because they deemed them too expensive. Not only were the option years worth about what Burnett is making now per season, but the Pirates themselves agreed to the amounts when they negotiated the original extension with Maholm!

2. Over the past 3 seasons, A.J. Burnett has the highest ERA in baseball among SP who have made at least 90 starts. He’s 35, making $10MM+ over each of the next 3 seasons, and has a well-documented attitude to boot. If these aren’t warning flags, I don’t know what are. This potentially could be worse than former GM Dave Littlefield’s Matt Morris mistake, which helped get the GM fired.

3. Maholm (105 ERA+) was by far the better pitcher last season, and is 5 years younger than Burnett (86 ERA+). For a team that’s supposed to be rebuilding with youth, Neal Huntington has spent his entire offseason acquiring guys well on the wrong side of 30.

Which brings me to the Pirates’ ”internal options.” Over the past 4 years, both Huntington and Coonelly have puffed their chests about building up the “depth” of the entire Pirates’ minor league system. They’ve made unpopular trades to build up this “depth”, and they’ve now had their hand in 4 full drafts to reinforce this “depth.” So where’s the depth?

4. The Pirates wasted $11,000,000 on 2 years of subpar, 33-year old SS Clint Barmes, because there were no internal options.

5. The Pirates wasted $4,000,000-7,500,000 (option year) on 36-year old C Rod Barajas, because there were no internal options.

6. The Pirates TRIED to pay 36-year old 1B Derrek Lee between $5,000,000-7,000,000, because they felt there were no internal options (although I personally would rather them simply give AAA 1B Matt Hague an audition than waste money on veterans). They’re now working out 36-yeard old 1B Dmitri Young for the same reason, despite 1B being the easiest position on the diamond to find young power bats. And by the way, Young hasn’t played a MLB game since 2008…so the Pirates have that going for them.

7. In Huntington’s only potentially good free agent acquisition of the offseaon, they signed 33-year old SP Erik Bedard, because there were no internal options. They continue to pursue A.J. Burnett because there are no internal options, despite Huntington and Coonelly always emphasizing the importance of building up starting pitching depth.

8. The remainder of their rotation as it now stands- Charlie Morton, Jeff Karstens, James McDonald, Kevin Correia- consists entirely of players brought in from other organizations via trade (Morton, Karstens, McDonald), or signed as free agents (Correia). Huntington has yet to have 1 starting pitcher he drafted pitch meaningful innings for the Pirates.

9. The same can be said for the Pirates’ bullpen. In fact, the only homegrown arm currently projected to come north with the team in spring- RP Tony Watson- was a Dave Littlefield draftee in 2007.

10. And despite Littlefield being the worst GM in recent MLB history (though Huntington is surely giving him a run for his money), until Pedro Alvarez wakes up and slims down, the Pirates’ two best regulars- CF Andrew McCutchen and 2B Neil Walker- are both Dave Littlefield draftees.

11. Out of the players projected to start in the field for the Pirates, 3 are Littlefield draftees (OF Alex Presley), while only 1 was picked during Huntington’s tenure (Alvarez).

12. Despite their apparent willingness to spend MILLIONS on aging, unproductive veterans, the Pirates have spent the entire offseason blackballing star OF Andrew McCutchen on a contract extension, as I wrote about here and here and here and here.

This team is terribly managed. Despite allusions to the contrary, the Pirates have little to no depth in the upper levels of their minor league system. (In fact, the Bucs’ best upper level prospect- OF Starling Marte- was once again a Dave Littlefield draftee. For a GM regarded as a terrible talent evaluator, Neal Huntington sure does seem to have his hands full trying to match Littlefield’s “success.”)

Further, the club clearly makes moves that directly contradict their supposed direction. They’ve spent the offseason stocking the roster with old, declining veterans, yet gush frequently about the team’s youth movement. They let younger, productive players like Maholm and C Ryan Doumit walk for nothing, only to turn around and sign expensive retreads in their stead.

Some wonder whether the timing of this most recent indulgence (prior to Burnett, the Pirates attempted to give both Edwin Jackson and Roy Oswalt paydays in the $10,000,000 range, only to be rebuffed) came from Major League Baseball starting to put heat on the Nutting ownership for yet another league-low payroll. Obviously, it’s only speculation at this point, but the timing certainly is interesting.

Regardless, this team is a trainwreck, and we’re about to see the results of it for 6 months straight.

Thanks for reading?

Pirates must get Burnett

By Mark Madden
Beaver County Times
http://www.timesonline.com/sports/
February 13, 2012

The Pirates need to get pitcher A.J. Burnett from the New York Yankees.

Keeping outfielder/first baseman Garrett Jones in the process seems a good idea. Jones is a mere platoon player, and the Yankees want him. If Jones leaves, though, it opens up a hole on a team already too reliant on patchwork.

But if you've got to deal Jones, do it. If you can substitute a mid-level prospect at penalty of picking up more of Burnett's salary, better yet. The main thing is to get Burnett.

Do it for the rotation. If Burnett and Erik Bedard pitch to their potential, the Pirates' starting pitching will be even deeper than last year when it was the team's strength.

Do it for the union. If the Pirates keep Jones and pay Burnett $6 million per while the Yankees pay him $10.5 million per, it could get the Pirates' payroll over $50 million. That might keep the Major League Baseball Players Association from asking where all that revenue-sharing cash goes.

Do it for the fans. Burnett isn't Christy Mathewson, but he's a proven name from a big-time club. He's a legit No. 1 starter, at least by Pirates standards. Burnett would create a buzz.

Do it because there aren't any other choices. Pitcher Edwin Jackson turned down a three-year, $30 million deal with the Pirates to take a one-year, $11 million contract with Washington. First baseman Derrek Lee declined arbitration with the Pirates. That would have earned him at least $8 million. Lee would rather retire than play in Pittsburgh. Pitcher Roy Oswalt wouldn't even engage the Pirates in discussion.

No one wants to play for the Pirates. Ergo, the Pirates must take hostages. Force the issue via trade.

Burnett is no Cy Young contender. He was 11-11 with a 5.15 ERA last season. To some degree, Burnett was victimized by the hitter's paradise that is the new Yankee Stadium and also by pitching in the ultra-competitive AL East. He's 35, but his fastball can still hit the mid-90s, his stuff can be filthy and he pitched 190.1 innings last campaign.

Would Burnett go in the tank once trapped in "baseball hell"? Could be. But many feel Burnett would prosper in a low-pressure, low-expectations environment. The NL Central may be the weakest division in baseball now that Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder have departed.

If the Pirates are convinced they've drafted and signed the right young pitchers, wouldn't Burnett be an ideal two-year stopgap? In theory, Burnett would eventually give way to Gerrit Cole. Perhaps the Pirates could profit by swapping Burnett to a contender at the 2013 trade deadline.

It would be wonderful - heck, shocking - if the Pirates made a move that clearly and immediately helped the team. It would peel a layer of stink off the never-ending con.

The Yankees' big interest is dumping Burnett, who no longer figures in their plans. Believe it or not, the Yankees would like to chop some payroll. They're sick of the luxury tax.

Given that - and given that no team besides the Pirates appears too interested in Burnett - the Pirates should get the best terms possible when acquiring Burnett.

But they must get Burnett. Opportunities to get a proper big-leaguer are few and far between for the Pirates.

Then again, does the name Matt Morris ring a bell?

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

Steelers disrespecting Ward

By Dejan Kovacevic, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/?_s_icmp=nav_sports
Monday, February 13, 2012

Just to get this on the record: I won't complain if the Steelers release Hines Ward, given his performance last season, the three young receivers ahead of him and that he'll turn 36 next month. I also won't complain if the Steelers keep Ward by securing a huge pay cut from the $4 million he's due in 2012.

These aren't easy calls for the front office, but either would be the right call from the football standpoint.

If only someone can find the fortitude to make it.

And make it The Steelers Way.

Remember that?

Goes something like this ...

Player X — let's call him Franco Harris, Greg Lloyd, Levon Kirkland or Joey Porter — looks to have reached the finish line.

Coach Y — let's call him Chuck Noll or Bill Cowher — addresses that player respectfully but forthrightly: Thanks for everything. It's time to part ways.

Team Z elsewhere might give that player a chance, or the player might choose to retire. Either way, the Steelers move on. And, just as important, they maintain their reputation for being first-class in these affairs.

So how to explain the classless way they're treating Ward?

The day after the playoff loss in Denver, Mike Tomlin declined to address the Ward topic, unless you count, "We love Hines." There was no commitment nor a timetable to establish one. And that's no stunner. When I asked Tomlin about Ward's demotion in November, Tomlin abruptly ended the interview. He's been hypersensitive to this for months.

Team president Art Rooney II did address Ward in his end-of-season meeting with reporters, saying, "You want it to end the right way whenever it ends, but it's a two-party decision. We'll evaluate how we feel about it over the next few weeks."

That at least was something, if only a hint that the Steelers might take Ward back if he takes that huge pay cut.

So why, according to Ward's representatives, has there been no formal contact from the team in the month and change since season's end?

And, way, way above that, who from the Steelers could have had the audacity to leak word to NFL Network — with the news broken Friday night by veteran reporter Jason La Canfora — that they don't want Ward back for 2012?

Whoever it was, that person or persons should look Ward in the eye and apologize.

I'm not getting into guessing the source of the leak. Only a handful in the Steelers' upper hierarchy would have hard knowledge of Ward's future, but there's still no way to narrow it down. Or, for that matter, to know if the leak was aimed at pressuring Ward to drop his price to rock bottom.

Again, if that's the goal, fine. The Steelers have big-time cap issues.

But to do it like this?

It wouldn't be the first time for such a tactic: In 2009, La Canfora wrote in an NFL.com chat that the Steelers were considering cutting Pro Bowl nose tackle Casey Hampton. That didn't happen, of course. But Hampton was aware of the report and, unlike the previous year, he showed up for training camp in good shape.

If the mission was to motivate Hampton, it was accomplished.

This is different, though. It's not about calories or contracts or other tales that have navigated this particular pipeline.

This is Hines Ward.

This is the franchise's most accomplished receiver, a two-time Super Bowl champion, a heart-and-soul contributor on and off the field. This is someone who, even when reduced to responding to this report through his Facebook account, wrote that he'll accept less money to "make sure" he stays with the Steelers.

He deserves some respect.

If Ward isn't done, if he can still help the receiving corps, if pending free agent Jerricho Cotchery is as unlikely as it appears to re-sign for more duty as a No. 4, then tell Ward as much. Work something out promptly.

If Ward is done, then tell him that sometime soon. Face to face. Man to man.

Used to be The Steelers Way.

Norris Trophy as top defenseman soon will come Letang's way

By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/
February 13, 3012

PITTSBURGH, PA - FEBRUARY 11: Kris Letang #58 of the Pittsburgh Penguins scores past Ondrej Pavelec #31 of the Winnipeg Jets during the game at Consol Energy Center on February 11, 2012 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

The Tampa Bay Lightning played at Consol Energy Center April 27 and beat the Penguins, 1-0, in Game 7 of their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series. I remember walking out of the grand building thinking Penguins defenseman Kris Letang played a lousy game to complete a lousy series in a lousy second half of the NHL season.

The Lightning was back in town Sunday night for the first time since that frustrating game and took a 4-2 beating from the Penguins. I walked into the cold, snow and ice thinking that, if Letang keeps playing this well, the Penguins are going to have a much deeper playoff run this spring.

I mean, really.

How good has Letang become?

I know he was a legitimate Norris Trophy candidate midway through last season when he had six goals and 30 assists after 41 games. But his game suffered badly after Sidney Crosby went out for the season in early January with concussion-like symptoms and then when Evgeni Malkin was lost for the season in early February with a knee injury. He had just two goals in the final 41 games, none in the final 25. He didn't score a goal in the series against the Lightning.

But this February, Letang's game is soaring in the other direction. He had a goal and two assists Sunday night to complete a three-goal, three-assist weekend. In his 11 games since he returned to the lineup after missing 21 games with a concussion, he has five goals and five assists. Not coincidentally, the Penguins went 8-2-1.

Here's one final stat for you:

Letang's eight goals in 33 games match his season total in 82 games last season.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12044/1209885-87.stm#ixzz1mGJpq55D

Highlights: Penguins 4, Lightning 2

Kunitz invaluable, even when timing is less than perfect

By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/
February 12, 2012

PITTSBURGH, PA - FEBRUARY 11: Chris Kunitz #14 of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates his second period goal with James Neal #18 against the Winnipeg Jets during the game at Consol Energy Center on February 11, 2012 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

Evgeni Malkin played in his 400th NHL game Saturday and had five points, just another day at the office for the world's finest hockey player. James Neal continued his best season by scoring his 29th goal, a blistering shot off a faceoff win by Malkin that left coach Dan Bylsma raving about Neal's "trigger." Richard Park scored his 100th career goal. Jordan Staal played for the first time after missing 15 games with a knee injury and had a goal and perhaps the game's most significant assist on a goal by Dustin Jeffrey that started the climb out of an early 2-0 hole. The Penguins beat the Winnipeg Jets, 8-5, in a throwback, can't-anyone-here-play-defense? game at Consol Energy Center.

It figures Chris Kunitz would pick this day to have his first four-point game in more than two years.

No matter what he does, the man just can't find the spotlight.

That doesn't mean the Penguins don't appreciate Kunitz's sizable contributions. His linemates, Malkin and Neal, who started the day ranked Nos. 3 and 4 in goals in the NHL, marvel at the dirty work he does. So does Bylsma, who talked of how Kunitz's "speed and physicality" creates space and loose pucks for Malkin and Neal.

"I don't think you measure my game by the number of points I have," Kunitz said. "You measure it by the number of goals our line scores."

I'll buy that.

That means Kunitz has been terrific for the Penguins.

The Kunitz-Malkin-Neal line has been the NHL's best for most of the season.

It was nice to see Kunitz get his 15th goal Saturday, his first in nine games and his first power-play goal in 17. Malkin set him up at the blue line behind the Jets defense with a brilliant pass. Kunitz cruised down right wing and blasted a shot by goaltender Ondrej Pavelec, who, after facing 39 shots, knows what it means to be under siege.

"You've got to capitalize on your opportunities," Kunitz said, shrugging. "I play with a couple of guys who like to shoot the puck."

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12043/1209716-87.stm#ixzz1mBbVcw00

Highlights: Penguins 8, Jets 5

Take the Pirates' money, please

By Dejan Kovacevic, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/?_s_icmp=nav_sports
Friday, February 10, 2012

Derrek Lee remains a free agent after his two-month stint with the Pirates in 2011. (AP)

It's one of the many torments of the Pirates' longest-suffering fans, the perpetual thought that somehow, some way, this will be the winter they make that big free-agent splash.

The thought was born, really, when PNC Park opened in 2001 with the promise of spending with the big boys.

That bought Derek Bell a yacht.

The thought was revived, at least a little, when Bob Nutting took control of ownership in 2007 and restored the team to fiscal responsibility with the promise that prudence would pay in the long run.

That bought Lyle Overbay for half a season, Byung-Hyun Kim for a month, Scott Olsen for a week, Craig Monroe for three spring bombs in a day, Eric Hinske, Matt Diaz, Ramon Vazquez, Bobby Crosby, Chris Gomez and probably 10 other non-shortstop shortstops.

Prudence might pay, but it sure can't play.

This winter, again, was going to be the one. The Pirates flirted with first place last summer, enough to spike attendance 20 percent. More ticket money would equal bigger spending. And it did, if you consider that new shortstop Clint Barmes' two-year, $10.5 million deal is the richest for any free agent in franchise history.

(No, seriously. It is.)

But this winter has brought a different harsh reality: The Pirates have tried to spend money above their still-too-low projected payroll of $48 million — actual big-splash money — only to see free agents turn up their noses.

It began in December when general manager Neal Huntington tendered salary arbitration to first baseman Derrek Lee in hopes of keeping Lee after a strong two-month finish. The process assures he would have made at least $7.25 million, same as 2011, and very likely more.

Lee rejected it for free agency.

He's still out there, too, waiting on any of his three or four preferred teams. The Pirates are not among those, and they don't expect that to change.

In the past week, it emerged that Huntington offered pitcher Edwin Jackson three years and $30 million. Not a misprint. Not an alternate reality. It really happened, and I can confirm that every penny was guaranteed, not couched in options or incentives. It would have been the team's biggest deal ever by a factor of three Barmeses.

Jackson rejected it in favor of one year at $11 million from another losing team, the Washington Nationals.

It's a wild risk on his part. On one hand, super-agent Scott Boras set up his client to reap a huge payday with a strong 2012, and Boras additionally can wave the Pirates' offer in front of any prospective buyers. On the other hand, every pitcher's next pitch can be his last.

Another quality arm, Roy Oswalt, is still on the market, also in Jackson's price range. He won't even pick up when Huntington calls.

Yeah, I can feel the eyes rolling right now. Some cynics don't believe the Pirates really made these overtures. Or, if the team did, it was just for PR purposes.

It's nonsense.

Lee's offer is easy to confirm, having been submitted through Major League Baseball's arbitration process.

Jackson's offer was solid, too. I've dealt with Boras for years. Be sure that if anyone publicly floated an inaccurate number attached to his name, even if it's off by a decimal point, he'd protest vociferously. He hasn't.

The Pirates aren't lying. And it isn't that they aren't trying, as some suggest. It's that top-tier talents still aren't buying what they're selling.

That has to change someday, obviously. But how?

"Honestly, we just need to keep playing better ball," Huntington told me by phone Wednesday after another late night at PNC Park. "When we win, we're going to see those results change, along with a lot of other things. We have a great pitcher-friendly ballpark. We have a lot of pieces in place. But the winning has to happen first. And it will. We still feel very good about the team we'll have in 2012."

Huntington should feel good about these rejections in at least one underlying way.

Say the Pirates raised the ante on Lee and offered $10 million. Say Lee accepted. There would be no reason to believe he's committed in the slightest. Remember, right now he'd rather retire than play in Pittsburgh. An extra million or two on top of his $80 million career earnings wouldn't change that sentiment much.

I enjoy watching Lee play baseball, but I don't want that here.

And say the Pirates had topped Washington's one-year offer to Jackson by a million or so. Same thing applies. You already know he was willing to walk away from $19 million to not play in Pittsburgh.

Maybe next winter.

Haley's hire a nutty narrative

By Dejan Kovacevic, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/?_s_icmp=nav_sports
Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Nothing says you're nuts quite like aspiring to become the Steelers' offensive coordinator. Except, of course, accepting when they offer.

So, Todd Haley is nuts.

This became official when the team announced his hiring Tuesday by way of a written statement in which Haley described himself as "excited about the opportunity." You know, the opportunity to be an idiot when the Steelers lose, a bumbling obstacle when they win, and generally less popular than anyone in town except the county treasurer whose name you fill out on property-tax checks.

You've got to be nuts.

Just ask Bruce Arians, who dealt with all of that, won a Super Bowl, was fired by Art Rooney II and immediately latched on with the Indianapolis Colts to take the same job.

He's twice as nuts.

This whole offensive coordinator saga is nuts, actually, and it's hard to imagine it's playing out with a franchise as founded in non-nuttiness as the Steelers.

Let's start with Haley himself, whose behavior throughout his 15-year NFL coaching career has been outright certifiable.

How about the interview Haley granted to the Kansas City Star in December, shortly before the Chiefs fired him, in which he first swept a PR office for bugs he suspected were placed by upper management to spy on him?

Haley went on to tell that interviewer he also thought his cell phone, which he owned before joining that team, had been bugged by those same spies. Others have made similar accusations against the Chiefs' autocratic general manager, Scott Pioli, but no proof ever has emerged.

How about the relentless criticism in Kansas City that Haley was more about promoting himself than doing right by the Chiefs?

Jason Whitlock, Fox Sports' renowned Kansas City-based columnist, wrote in January 2011 that Haley tried to compensate for not having played football even at the high school level — back problems limited him to golf at Upper St. Clair — and that Haley was "too insecure to work in a professional manner with confident, competent people for an extended time." Indeed, Haley fired or pushed out two experienced offensive coordinators, Chan Gailey and Charlie Weis, in just two-plus seasons as head coach. Whitlock and others charged that those moves were made to get Haley more credit for the Chiefs' successes.

And, going off the rails a bit, how about in 2009, when Haley and his family sued a McDonald's for $1.7 million after his wife found a dead 6-inch rat in her salad?

Haley's lawyer riotously explained to the Associated Press that the ingestion of the rat caused "violent physical illness" — how do you lift a whole rat onto a fork to ingest anything? — that the store manager "brought them no comfort" when visiting their house, and that "the family needs closure" on the matter. They ended up securing an out-of-court settlement, not to mention securing Haley's perpetual place as the butt of rodent jokes.

Nuts, all of it.

And this is to say nothing of how Haley's spotty background won this job, how his pass-specialist pedigree will address Rooney's wish to bolster the run, how being passed over will sit with the rest of Mike Tomlin's staff and, in the biggest issue by far, how Haley might — or might not — coexist with Ben Roethlisberger. Haley has clashed with some of his best players, often in public.

Are the Steelers nuts, too?

Look, I had no issue with Rooney stepping in to make the call on Arians. Owners are right to get involved when they see something amiss, and they're right to help maintain a franchise identity. Rooney didn't want Arians in the role, and he got rid of him. That's only meddling if it happens regularly.

But to hire this guy?

Rooney had a longtime connection with Haley's father, Dick, the Steelers' famed personnel man from 1971-90, and this sure has the feel of that connection paying off. Yes, Tomlin interviewed Todd Haley. Yes, there's even a chance Tomlin liked him, though they appear to have zilch in common. But this process has Rooney's fingerprints from start to finish.

We know Tomlin wanted Arians back, but Rooney overruled him.

We know a few of Tomlin's players — notably Roethlisberger — pushed for quarterbacks coach Randy Fichtner to get Arians' old job, and Rooney evidently overruled that, too.

It's hard to tell what anyone's thinking on the South Side. Tomlin has barely made a peep since the Steelers were Tebowed, and he wasn't quoted in the team's statement Tuesday. Haley himself was whisked in and out of headquarters without a spoken word.

Pardon this pun, especially if you're picking through a salad, but I smell a rat.

Highlights: Canadiens 3, Penguins 2 (SO)

Haley doesn't figure to buddy up to Ben

By Mike Bires
Beaver County Times
http://www.timesonline.com/sports/
February 7, 2012

If indeed he's the Steelers' new offensive coordinator, Todd Haley will have a few things in common with the guy he reportedly will replace.

Like Bruce Arians, Haley loves the passing game.

Like Arians, Haley has a passion for the game of golf.

I point that out because Ben Roethlisberger has similar interests.

Roethlisberger, the quarterback and face of the Steelers' franchise, likes it best when he's moving the offense via the pass. And when football season is over, he knows how to manuever around a golf course quite well. Often over the years, he'd tee it up with Arians. They've both been members at a private venue in western Pennsylvania as well as one in Georgia.

They used football, golf and an occasional game of cards to develop a very close relationship not often found between athlete and coach.

Maybe that's one reason Steelers president Art Rooney II decided to part ways with Arians two weeks ago, that the close bond between Roethlisberger and Arians was too close.

That doesn't figure to be the case with Haley and Roethlisberger ... at least not right away.

Roethlisberger was upset when Arians wasn't retained. And, based on his past, Haley, the former head coach of the Chiefs, probably won't care if he ever develops a friendship with Roethlisberger. Over the years, Haley has gained the reputation of a combustible, headstrong egomaniac who's not afraid to be confrontational with his players.

Haley, who could be named O.C. as early as today, has ties to the Steelers. His father, Dick, played defensive back for the Steelers from 1961-64. Then from 1971-90, he was director of player personnel and responsible for drafting many of the great Steelers from the 1970s.

When Todd Haley was a kid growing up in Upper St. Clair, he'd spend time at training camp as a ball boy. But when he attended high school, he didn't play football. Instead, he played on USC's golf team.

After working for his dad in the Jets' scouting department in the mid-1990s, Todd Haley decided to enter the coaching profession. He coached wide receivers for the Jets and Bears. He coached in Dallas for three years as the Cowboys' wide receivers coach and passing-game coordinator.

From 2007-2008, he was the offensive coordinator in Arizona and helped the Cardinals make it to the Super Bowl XLIII against the Steelers. In '08, the Cardinals had one of the NFL's most explosive offenses. Of course, it helped to have Kurt Warner at quarterback and Larry Fitzgerald at wide receiver.

But in the past three years as head coach in K.C., Haley's teams went 4-12, 10-6 and 5-8 in the regular season. The Chiefs did win the AFC West two seasons ago, but this past year Haley was fired after 13 games.

So now it appears that Haley, 44, is headed back to Pittsburgh. No doubt, the ties his father had with the Steelers didn't hurt his chances of landing the job. But most importantly, he got the job because of his offensive expertise.

It will be his job to make the Steelers a more explosive offense than they were under Arians.

If Haley does that, it won't matter if he ever calls Roethlisberger his friend.


Mike Bires can be reached online at mbires@timesonline.com or by phone at 724-622-4284

Eight-point games once routine for Lemieux

By Mark Madden
Beaver County Times
http://www.timesonline.com/sports/
February 6, 2012

The hockey world went nuts when Edmonton's Sam Gagner notched an eight-point game Thursday. Four goals, four assists: A point on every Oilers goal in an 8-4 win over Chicago.

Big deal.

Eight-point games were once a habit for Mario Lemieux.

Before Gagner, the last NHL player to notch an eight-point game was Lemieux. He did it three times in 1988-89, his 199-point season. That was Lemieux pre-back surgery, pre-cancer. That was Lemieux with a shake-and-bake that looked both foreign and magnificent for a man standing 6-foot-4.

That was Lemieux at his very best.

Lemieux's first eight-point game was Oct. 15, 1988. Two goals, six assists at home vs. St. Louis. That psychologically clinched the scoring title. How can you beat that? Lemieux ultimately won the Art Ross Trophy by 31 points.

His second eight-point game was Dec. 31, 1988. Five goals, three assists at home vs. New Jersey. It's a night better remembered for five goals, five ways: Even strength, power play, shorthanded, penalty shot, empty net. So unique, no one realized it was a big deal until well after the fact. Like Gagner, Lemieux got a point on every Penguins goal.

His third eight-point game was April 25, 1989. Five goals, three assists in a 10-7 home playoff win vs. Philadelphia. Perhaps the most overwhelming performance of Lemieux's career. Flyers goalie Ron Hextall couldn't attack Mario. Too low-rent. So Hextall attacked Rob Brown instead.

Lemieux ended the year with 85 goals and 114 assists. Yet, he somehow finished second in MVP voting to Wayne Gretzky, who had 31 less points on 31 less goals. It remains a remarkable injustice, one that still angers.

The prevailing "wisdom" was that Gretzky had engineered a turnaround of the Kings during his first season in Los Angeles. The Kings made the playoffs, but lost in the second round. The Penguins did exactly the same. Exactly how was Gretzky more valuable? Mario's Penguins had a much rougher road to respectability than Gretzky's Kings. Ultimately, Mario's Penguins accomplished more.

The voters changed the rules on Lemieux. The Hart Trophy usually goes to the best player. Except that time. Absurd.

Lemieux once said that he measured himself by Stanley Cups and scoring titles, because "nobody votes on those." Amen.

Back problems mounted after 1988-89. Lemieux lost agility. So he reinvented himself, substituting craft for boogie. He got a lot done, just in a different fashion. That reinvention refined itself further when Mario came out of retirement in 2000.

There seems little doubt that Lemieux would have had a few 200-point seasons, maybe even a 100-goal campaign, had physical problems not intervened. That would have been nice, but conquering his back, and cancer, burnished his legend. Made him noble. Gave him a story beyond stats.

There wasn't a ton of hockey on television then. Not a ton of tape exists of Mario at his absolute best.

But what Gagner did once, Lemieux did thrice in one season. And he had countless other nights operating at or near that level. Lemieux had a seven-point game, a six-point game and eight five-point games in 1988-89.

That's 77 points in 13 games. It seems impossible.

You've got to give Gagner credit. On Saturday, he got points on Edmonton's first three goals and netted in the shootout as the Oilers beat Detroit, 5-4. Gagner got points on 11 straight goals.

That young man has a sense for the occasion. Not unlike his predecessor in eight-point glory.

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

Highlights: Devils 5, Penguins 2

Steelers' Dermontti Dawson, Jack Butler make Hall of Fame

By Dejan Kovacevic, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/?_s_icmp=nav_sports
Sunday, February 5, 2012

INDIANAPOLIS — That richly traveled road from Pittsburgh to Canton gained four more followers Saturday with the Pro Football Hall of Fame elections of center Dermontti Dawson and cornerback Jack Butler of the Steelers, running back Curtis Martin of Allderdice High School and Pitt and defensive end Chris Doleman of Pitt.

Still no Bus on that road, though.

Jerome Bettis, who barreled his way to the NFL's No. 6 all-time rushing yardage with 13,662, fell short of election in his second year of eligibility. The 44-member selection committee, which met yesterday at the Super Bowl XLVI media hotel, doesn't release vote totals, but Bettis fell short of the 80 percent needed to join the class of six that also included offensive tackle Willie Roaf and defensive tackle Cortez Kennedy.

Enshrinement will be Aug. 4 in Canton.

Bettis didn't even make the cut of 10 out of the 15 modern-day finalists entering the day. Martin, like Bettis in his second year of eligibility, had the edge with a committee that was reluctant to add two running backs in the same class. In Bettis' first year, Marshall Faulk got the nod.

No more than five modern-era candidates can be elected in one class.

Dawson, 46, was seen by many in the football community as woefully overdue, finally making it in his eighth year of eligibility. He was born in Lexington, Ky., where he lives and works as a real estate developer. After a brilliant career at the University of Kentucky, he became a six-time All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowl selection in 13 seasons with the Steelers, retiring after 2000.

"It's a great honor to be elected," Dawson said. "I never would have thought I'd be in this position. I feel very fortunate. It's something my kids and grandkids can see, to take a look at what their granddad did."

Following the Hall of Fame footsteps of Mike Webster, Dawson might have been even better. His streak of 170 consecutive games was second-longest in franchise history, and his extraordinary athleticism for a big man - he was nationally ranked in discus and the shot put in high school -- afforded him a then-rare ability to lead sweeps and execute blocks as far downfield as the safety.

"Kudos to Dermontti," former Steelers coach Bill Cowher said. "He played center better than any other during my 22 years of coaching. A true professional and better person."

Before Webster, Ray Mansfield held the Steelers' center position in 1966-75, making for a three-player, 35-year run unlike any in NFL history.

"I learned a lot from Mike Webster in my first year, how to take care of yourself, how to prepare," Dawson said. "That's something I always valued, and it means so much to me to join this group."

As friendly off the field as he was fiery on it, Dawson was held in such high regard that the Steelers' offensive linemen showed up at the Super Bowl's Media Day in 2009 wearing his No. 63 jerseys to support his Hall induction.

The elections of Dawson and Butler, the only choice of the Hall's senior committee, raised the Steelers' Hall total to 20 who spent significant time with the organization. Dawson joined cornerback Rod Woodson (2009) as just the second player from the post-dynasty era.

"They're both deserving of this honor for all they've done throughout the years to help build and continue our rich tradition," Steelers president Art Rooney II said.

Butler, 84, was born and raised in Oakland near Forbes Field before starring at St. Bonaventure, then for 103 games in 1951-59 for the Steelers. His 52 interceptions - including four in one game Dec. 13, 1953, against the Washington Redskins -- were second-most in NFL history at the time of his retirement. He was All-Pro in his final five seasons before a knee injury ended his career.

"It's an honor and privilege," Butler said. "Everybody knows that. But I love this. I love being here."

Even if it took a half-century.

"I never, ever thought I would be here. I just didn't think this was reality. When I was a kid, I dreamed about being a football player. And here I am, Jack Butler from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, going into the Hall of Fame. I can't believe it."

Butler went on to work 44 years for the Steelers as a scout/manager.

Martin, 38, also was a Pittsburgh native, growing up in Homewood, Wilkinsburg and Duquesne before finally joining the football team at Allderdice High School as a senior. He was an immediate sensation at running back, linebacker, even quarterback, before the secret was out with four flashy years at Pitt.

In 1995-2005 with the New England Patriots and New York Jets, Martin amassed the NFL's No. 4 all-time rushing yardage - two notches ahead of Bettis - at 14,101. He won a rushing title in 2004 and was a three-time All-Pro.

"This is one of the most humbling feelings I've had in my life," Martin said. "I'm so grateful to all my coaches and teammates."

Martin has been deeply active in community endeavors, including in the Pittsburgh area. That prompted NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to say upon his retirement, "Curtis Martin represents everything an NFL player should be."

Martin spoke emotionally of being raised by a single parent.

"Football was something I did just to stay out of jail back in Pittsburgh. Shows what can happen if you do the right thing."

Doleman, 50, had 150 1/2 career sacks over 15 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers. Before that, the York, Pa., native excelled in four years at Pitt with 25 sacks, still sixth-most in school history.

This was his eighth year of Hall eligibility, and he and Kennedy emerged from a pack of formidable pass rushers.

"When they call your name, you're absolutely numb," Doleman said. "There are times you wonder if you've been overlooked, but I've always had the respect of my peers. I always went out and played for God, family and friends. It is a big payoff, I'll tell you that."

The elections of Martin and Doleman give Pitt eight players in the Hall, along with Dan Marino, Tony Dorsett, Mike Ditka, Russ Grimm, Joe Schmidt and Rickey Jackson.

The rest of the 17 finalists yesterday who didn`t make it were former Steelers linebacker Kevin Greene, Tim Brown, Cris Carter, Charles Haley, Andre Reed, Willie Roaf, Will Shields, Aeneas Williams, Bill Parcells and Eddie DeBartolo Jr.

Enshrinement will be Aug. 4 in Canton, Ohio.

Highlights: Penguins 2, Bruins 1

For Bettis, impact to the end

By Ralph N. Paulk, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/?_s_icmp=nav_sports
Saturday, February 4, 2012

Jerome Bettis, a.k.a. The Bus, had just enough fuel in his tank to help carry the Steelers to their fifth Super Bowl victory six years ago.

Bettis couldn't have scripted the final game of his 13-year career better. He walked away from the game amid a largely partisan Steelers crowd at Ford Field in his hometown of Detroit.

He left with a diamond-studded championship ring on his finger. He left, too, having vaulted himself into the pantheon of affection that Steelers' fans allot a precious few, guys like Franco Harris, Jack Lambert and Joe Greene.

The 43 yards Bettis rushed for in a 21-10 conquest of Seattle didn't matter nearly as much as the energy and leadership he provided the Steelers that season.

Bettis, a 1993 first-round draft pick of the Rams, put together impressive numbers: 13,662 rushing yards, eight 1,000-yard seasons and six Pro Bowl appearances. He led the Steelers in rushing the first six seasons after the Rams shipped him to Pittsburgh in 1996.

All that's left, it seems, is a bronze bust in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

"It's definitely an honor to make it this far," Bettis told Steelers.com. "When you are on the list of all of these great players and there is the possibility of being in the Hall of Fame, it's an honor definitely."

Bettis is among 17 finalists being considered today for election. The selection committed expects to elect four to seven finalists for induction.

Bettis, a finalist for the first time in 2011, is among four former Steelers on the ballot. The others are center Dermontti Dawson, defensive end/linebacker Kevin Greene and cornerback Jack Butler.

Also, two Pitt products -- running back Curtis Martin and defensive end/linebacker Chris Doleman -- are hoping to secure a place in the hall. Martin gained most his 14,101 yards with the New York Jets, and Doleman established himself as one of the most-feared pass rushers while playing in Minnesota.

The odds are relative good that at least one, maybe two, former Steelers will join the 20 other Steelers in the hall.

Dawson, a six-time All-Pro, is confident Bettis will be among those elected for enshrinement during the induction ceremony scheduled Aug. 4.

"I definitely believe he belongs in the Hall of Fame," Dawson said. "He defines what you're looking for in a tailback."

Bettis led the Steelers in rushing in eight of his 10 seasons with the team. His most productive season was 1997, when he rushed for 1,665 yards on 375 carries.

"There is no doubt about his abilities when you look at the numbers and consider what he meant to the Steelers," Dawson said. "He got it done year in and year out."

In his final season, Bettis took a significant pay cut to spell Willie Parker as a short-yardage back. Bettis totaled a career-low 368 yards, but he led the team with nine touchdowns.

Pittsburgh Dad Talks Super Bowl

Highlights: Maple Leafs 1, Penguins 0

Business as usual: Win

By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/
February 1, 2012

Pittsburgh Penguins' Evgeni Malkin (71) gets a shootout goal past Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Jonas Gustavsson during an NHL hockey game in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2012. The Penguins won 5-4. (AP)

In a conference room Tuesday night high above the Consol Energy Center ice, Penguins general manager Ray Shero and upbeat superstar Sidney Crosby spoke hopefully about the future but stopped well short of predicting when it might arrive. At the same time, the other Penguins players prepared to play the Toronto Maple Leafs in the here and now. It was business as usual for them. It's always business as usual for those guys, isn't it?

I want to focus on that group of players. They deserve our attention and respect. They command it, actually.

The Penguins started the unofficial second half of the NHL season by stealing a 5-4 shootout win. For much of the game, they played horribly, allowing one odd-man Toronto rush after another and torturing goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury as they fell into a deep, dark 4-1 hole that easily could have been 6-1 or even 8-1 if not for Fleury's brilliance. But in the final 11 1/2 minutes, against a team that had been 18-0 when leading after two periods, the Penguins got goals from Steve Sullivan, Joe Vitale and -- who else -- Evgeni Malkin with 6.6 seconds left to force a 4-4 tie. They then won in the shootout when Malkin scored a goal and Fleury made three more saves. It was their eighth consecutive win.

"I'm not sure we deserved the fate we got [Tuesday night]," Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said. "That wasn't a lot of what we want to see on the ice."

OK, so maybe the Penguins failed technically. Maybe they didn't play Bylsma's system to anything close to perfection. Certainly, they were lucky to win. Certainly, they will have to play much better tonight in the second half of the home-and-home against the Maple Leafs in Toronto.

But I can't help but think this game was symbolic of what the Penguins have been able to accomplish without Crosby, not just this season but last. Against tough odds, they find a way a lot more often than not. They are 24-15-3 without Crosby this season, 47-28-8 in the 83 regular-season games he has missed in the past 13 months because of his concussion-like symptoms.

I don't know about you, those numbers amaze me.

Sure, it has been a brutal ride for Crosby, wondering if, when and for how long he will be able to play again. "He's a hockey player ... He wants to play hockey," Shero said. But the ups and downs of Crosby's increasingly bizarre recovery also have been tough on his teammates. They, too, have had a turbulent journey.

The latest Crosby medical news is positive, at least as it was presented in that conference room. Crosby doesn't have and never had a fracture in his neck. Instead, the most recent diagnosis is a soft-tissue neck injury, which could be causing his concussion symptoms and can be treated. It's encouraging to Crosby because "it's something I can work on rather than sitting around and hoping [for the symptoms to subside]."

The other Penguins also are optimistic that Crosby now will be able to make a quick return to the lineup. It's not just that he's their captain, their leader, their best player. He's their friend. They want the best for him. They want him to be happy.

"Our only hope at this point is that he gets healthy," winger Matt Cooke said after scoring the Penguins' first goal against the Maple Leafs, his first in 20 games.

But the Penguins have been hopeful before about Crosby only to be disappointed. They were hopeful he would make it back last season after he left the team Jan. 6 after his concussion was diagnosed. He never did. They were hopeful he was back to stay this season when he returned Nov. 21 against the New York Islanders. He lasted just eight games.

"There's not always a lot of answers with this [concussion] stuff," Crosby admitted.

The other players have the right approach this time. They are eager to get Crosby back. "Believe me, we'll welcome him with open arms," Cooke said.

But until Crosby returns?

You got it.

Business as usual.

Finding a way without him.

"If we wonder or question or worry or put more emphasis on his return, we won't be as focused on the task at hand," Cooke said. "That's Toronto [tonight]. That's all we're looking at."

That's all the Penguins can look at.

Ron Cook: rcook@post-gazette.com. More articles by this author

Highlights: Penguins 5, Maple Leafs 4 (SO)