Linebackers driving force in Steelers' impressive win

By Ed Bouchette
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/
Tuesday, September 09, 2008


Brett Coomer: Houston Chronicle

Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub (8) is pressured by Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison as he breaks away from tackle Duane Brown and gets the sack during the third quarter.


Perhaps it was not politically correct a day after the football world learned it must live without Tom Brady this season, but James Farrior compared quarterbacks to snakes yesterday.

"The quarterback is the key ingredient to any offense," the Steelers senior linebacker said. "It's like chopping off the head, the body's going to follow."

Sunday, the Steelers' defense tossed Houston's Matt Schaub onto what they hope will be a fast-growing pile of discards.

"Yeah, that's one," Farrior said. "We have 15 more to go. See how many we can stack up."

The Steelers got a leg up on what they hope will be a revitalized pass rush Sunday when they sacked Schaub five times and forced him into two interceptions and a lost fumble. They also were credited unofficially with six quarterback hurries.

That's what they meant when they spoke of improving a pass rush that managed 36 sacks last season and 39 in 2006, down from 45 in their Super Bowl year. Farrior, as captain of that defense, sounded like a proud father yesterday, especially with his linebackers, who accounted for 4 1/2 of those sacks.

James Harrison had three, LaMarr Woodley one and Farrior and end Nick Eason shared the other. Harrison and Woodley also had two hurries apiece, Farrior one and Eason the other.

There was more. Woodley had the first interception of his career and two tackles for losses, Harrison forced a fumble (that Woodley recovered) and had three tackles for losses.

While everyone on defense seemed to have a big debut, none was as spectacular as the five Steelers linebackers, including non-starter Lawrence Timmons, who had three tackles and seemed to be everywhere. Larry Foote had four tackles and Harrison led them with eight.

"We love it. When we're out there playing like that it's a lot of fun," Farrior said.


Brett Coomer: Houston Chronicle

Steelers linebacker LaMarr Woodley (56) returns an interception of a Matt Schaub pass after stepping in front of Texans wide receiver David Anderson (89) for the turnover during the second quarter.

Nobody had better games than the two outside linebackers.

"Out of the whole group I thought Woodley and Harrison really made a lot of big plays," Farrior said. "They were all over the place. Those two guys by themselves pretty much dominated the game."

Because Harrison led the Steelers with 8 1/2 sacks last season, made his first Pro Bowl and was voted team MVP, it's no surprise when he has a big game. This was Woodley's first start, in his second season. He showed some splash with four sacks in 80 snaps as a rookie, plus two more sacks in the playoff game, yet his teammates wondered how he would perform as the full-time linebacker on the left outside, where Clark Haggans used to patrol, Jason Gildon before him and Kevin Greene before him.

The Steelers' 3-4 defense is designed for the two outside linebackers to make big plays and they came through in the opener.

"I love to see that out of them," Farrior said. "James already has been productive in this defense, we know what he's going to bring. Woodley was sort of a question because he's a new guy, but he's showing everybody he can be out there with us."

Harrison said the presence of Woodley on the left should help him because teams eventually will be forced to pay the younger linebacker as much attention as the team's MVP.

"They'll have to," Harrison said yesterday. "If this game doesn't make them pay attention, the next three or four games might."

Judging by Harrison's reaction to the linebackers' performance, the Steelers can expect bigger days ahead. He did not think they played all that well despite their dominance.

"No, we had a bunch of mental errors," he said.

What about all his sacks, pressures, tackles for losses and forced fumble?

"I don't look at all that. It was fine. Sacks are good. I like it. I'm working for sacks. It was an OK game."

It was more like the O.K. Corral from the Earps' point of view.

Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com.
First published on September 9, 2008 at 12:00 am

You can have Peyton, and Romo, too. With no Brady around, Big Ben is NFL's brightest star

By Ron Cook
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/
Tuesday, September 09, 2008

Peter Diana / Post-Gazette

The new No. 1 quarterback -- Ben Roethlisberger

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady will miss the rest of the season with a left leg injury. Everything changed at 1:25 p.m. Sunday. When New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady crashed to the Gillette Stadium turf, clutching his left knee, the impact was felt all the way to Pittsburgh. Instantly, the Steelers became a more serious threat to make the Super Bowl. Instantly, Ben Roethlisberger became the NFL's best quarterback.

What?

There's another quarterback you'd want more now that Brady is out for the season?

You can have Peyton Manning or Tony Romo.

I'll take No. 7.

I don't want anyone else trying to lead the Steelers through the AFC, which suddenly seems so much less formidable now that the powerful Patriots had a leg cut out from under them.

No one at Steelers headquarters yesterday was celebrating Brady's bad luck even if his injury significantly lessens the Patriots' Super Bowl hopes. NFL players are card-carrying union brothers. "You never want to see anyone get hurt like that," said veteran quarterback Charlie Batch, who has had his share of injuries, most recently a broken collarbone in the preseason that put him out for the season.

If anything had the Steelers in a mood to party one day after their 38-17 smack-down of the Houston Texans, it was seeing Roethlisberger breeze through the team's South Side complex without so much as a limp. He, just as easily as the great Brady, could be finished for the season. Within an hour after Brady went down after taking a hit from Kansas City Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard, Roethlisberger took a pop on his right knee from Texans defensive tackle Amobi Okoye on the next-to-last play of the first half.

At first, the hit looked bad. Roethlisberger tried to bury his face in the Heinz Field grass, clearly in pain. Who knows what offensive tackle Willie Colon was thinking when he rushed over to help him up? Colon and guard Kendall Simmons had tried to steer Okoye clear of Roethlisberger and were sickened when they saw him crash into the franchise. I know what I was thinking: The season could be over.

I'm guessing I wasn't alone.

Batch said Roethlisberger was pretty shook up at halftime, at least until the docs checked him out.

That made several hundred thousand of us, the 64,000-plus at the stadium and the countless Steelers fans watching on television.

Who really could relax until Roethlisberger jogged onto the field for the first series of the third quarter and promptly lead the Steelers on another touchdown drive?

"After seeing it on film, it could have been another Tom Brady thing," Simmons said after an afternoon team meeting. "Ben said he was all right today. I'm just thankful he was able to pull his leg back enough in time."

Roethlisberger isn't just very good.

He's very lucky.

"That's a quarterback's worst nightmare, someone rolling up your leg like that," Batch said. "That and when someone hits your arm as you're throwing. There are times you know you're going to have to take a hit and you can kind of prepare for it. But there's nothing you can do when someone gets your leg like that."

Even if Roethlisberger's knee did ache a bit yesterday, it's safe to say he felt better than he did after a lot of games the previous two seasons when he was sacked 93 times, more than any AFC quarterback. In addition to the Okoye hit, he was sacked twice by defensive end Mario Williams, once landing on his throwing shoulder, which is never a good thing for a quarterback. Other than those plays, though, his offensive line did a good job keeping him clean.

Just as he predicted it would.

"I'm excited for those guys so they can silence the critics who are talking bad about them," Roethlisberger said during training camp. "I have all the faith in the world that they'll protect me."

It's fun to think about how good Roethlisberger will be this season if he stays healthy. He was just about perfect against the Texans, completing 13 of 14 passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns, both to wide receiver Hines Ward. He also wisely picked his spots scrambling, running just twice, the first time for 17 yards on a third-and-4 play on the Steelers' first possession.
"He looks to me to be all the way back to where he was in our workouts after the Super Bowl year, before the [motorcycle] accident," Batch said. "He was on fire then. Every pass was right there. Every decision was the right decision. It's the same way now, and he's just going to keep getting better and better."

Think about that for a second.

Roethlisberger became the first quarterback in NFL history to go 13-0 in the regular season as a rookie in 2004.

He became the youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl in '05.

He made the Pro Bowl and set Steelers records for touchdown passes (32) and passer-rating (104.1) last season.

And he's going to keep getting better?

Why not?

I ask you:

Why can't Roethlisberger take over for Brady as the NFL's brightest star?

Ron Cook can be reached at rcook@post-gazette.com
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First published on September 9, 2008 at 12:00 am

Pirates reach tragic number with 82nd loss

Ugly 11-6 defeat to Giants clinches landmark 16th losing season

By Dejan Kovacevic
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/
Monday, September 08, 2008


George Nikitin/AP

Pirates' Nate McLouth, left, has his right hand checked by trainer Brad Henderson after being hit by a pitch yesterday.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Perhaps it was painfully appropriate.

With an excruciating, error-filled, erratic 11-6 loss to the San Francisco Giants on an otherwise golden Bay-side afternoon at AT&T Park, the 122-year-old Pittsburgh Baseball Club, the once-proud franchise of five World Series championships and Roberto Clemente and Honus Wagner, achieved an ignominious place in sporting history by clinching a 16th consecutive losing season.

That ties the 1933-48 Philadelphia Phillies for the longest such streak in Major League Baseball, and it exceeds that of any NFL, NHL or NBA team. Another losing season in 2009, and the Pirates' streak will stand alone in all of the major professional ranks.

"Nobody's happy with the record. Nobody's happy with losing," manager John Russell said in a quiet clubhouse after this 82nd loss saw a five-run lead flip into a five-run deficit in the same inning. "But the work we're putting in, the things we're doing ... we see a lot of progress. It's not equating to wins right now, but we'll continue. And it's going to be a lot of fun someday. I know the city of Pittsburgh is dying for a winner, and we're going to do everything we can to make that happen."

The most recent date on which the Pirates officially were winners was Oct. 4, 1992, when they finished 96-66 with Barry Bonds, Doug Drabek, Andy Van Slyke and other luminaries before embarking on a playoff run that would end with Francisco Cabrera's dagger of a ninth-inning single that sent the Atlanta Braves to the Series instead.

That name, Cabrera, as well as the image of Sid Bream sliding safely into home, still conjure agonizing memories for Pittsburghers, many of whom remember where they were when it happened and, in some cases, how hard they cried. And part of what made it that way was a widely held view that, given baseball's increasingly imbalanced economics at the time, the Pirates never would have another chance.

Little did they know how miserable it would get ...

• In the loss column: The cumulative record during these 16 years is 1,097-1,406, a .438 winning percentage. The best record came with the 79-83 edition in 1997, the "Freak Show" group embraced by the fan base because it contended -- in a weak division -- with a $9 million payroll. The worst was 62-100 in 2001, the ominous christening of PNC Park.

• In the standings: The Pirates finished last in their division eight times -- and currently are last again in the Central -- and three other times next-to-last. Highest finish was second in 1997.

• On the calendar: The latest date in any year that the Pirates topped .500 was Aug. 26, 1997, when they were 67-66. In this decade alone, the latest date was May 29, 2004, when they were 23-22, and the latest date for .500 was June 11, 2005, when they were 30-30. The current team was 7-7 on April 15, then failed in six subsequent cracks at .500 and never saw it again.

• Compared to their peers: In the same span, the Steelers won one Super Bowl, competed in another, reached six AFC championship games and won seven division titles. The Penguins competed in one Stanley Cup final, reached three conference finals and won five division titles.

• Across the scope of sports: The NHL's Vancouver Canucks of 1976-91 and NBA's Kansas City/Sacramento Kings of 1983-98 each had streaks of 15 years. The NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers of 1983-96 went 14. The longest current streak in sports -- other than the Pirates' -- belongs to the Baltimore Orioles, who will reach 11 with four more losses.

And this is to say nothing of Operation Shutdown, Bottled Water-Gate, the Rule 5 draft fiasco, the Matt Wieters draft fiasco, the Pedro Alvarez draft fiasco, Brant Brown playing center field, the raising of ticket prices after losing 100 games and, always topping the list of maddening events during the streak, the dumping of Aramis Ramirez.

No one associated with the Pirates has been through more of it than Jack Wilson, in his eighth year as their shortstop.

"It's unfortunate ... again," Wilson said. "The No. 1 that I think about is that our city has outstanding fans and deserves a winning team. We're probably lucky that the Steelers and Penguins have played so well all this time."

He laughed at that.

"But I also think this organization is headed in the right direction, and we all hope this doesn't reach into next year."

Bob Nutting, who became the Pirates' controlling owner early last year, hired president Frank Coonelly and general manager Neal Huntington late that summer with a mandate of overhauling the organization top to bottom. Coonelly and Huntington immediately made clear their priority was building up a dilapidated minor league system, even if that came at the expense of the major league roster.

The most prominent examples of that put into action, of course, came with the July trades of Xavier Nady and Jason Bay for eight prospects, moves that coincided with the current team falling off precipitously.

"No one wants to tie or break records for futility, but we need to do the things necessary to build a foundation of winning players who can win championships without regard for where the organization has been under different leadership teams," Coonelly said from Pittsburgh after the game. "We cannot make decisions because they might help us win 82 games next year. What is important is that we will continue to build our foundation. If we do that, we certainly can put ourselves in a position where we no longer need to answer questions about futility streaks."

"I know fans are frustrated with the losing, with the number of years it's been going on," Huntington said. "And, candidly, the simplest approach on our end probably would have been to just try to break the streak, to focus on that. But the last thing we'd want to see happen is what came about with that Philly streak."

Those 1933-48 Phillies also had 14 consecutive losing seasons in 1918-31, with a single blip -- two games above .500 in 1932 -- to interrupt what would have been a streak of 31.

"You'd hate to win just one year, only to see it go on and on because you didn't do what needed to be done to address things right," Huntington continued. "Look, we all hate losing. Nobody here should be satisfied with what we've done this year, and I don't care how well they played individually. As a collective, it wasn't good enough. And it's not just the players. It's everybody who works for the Pittsburgh Pirates."

Yesterday surely was one occasion all concerned would want to forget, if only for the game itself.

The Pirates had dashed to a 5-0 lead through the top of the fourth inning, and Jeff Karstens had no-hit the Giants, owners of the majors' weakest offense. But trouble took root immediately in the bottom half when Randy Winn's roller up the line resulted in Karstens throwing the ball off Winn's shoulder for an error.

"Should have just let it roll foul," Karstens said.

What followed was stunning, even by the standards of these 16 years: The next six batters got hits, including a three-run double by Pablo Sandoval that knocked center fielder Nate McLouth out of the game. McLouth made a futile diving attempt, and the ball bounced up into his sunglasses with enough force to cause a six-stitch gash above his left eyebrow.

Russell pulled Karstens after Eugenio Velez's looping liner to right field, one that should have been caught by Steve Pearce, caromed off his glove for another. That made for eight batters up, none retired.

T.J. Beam followed, and he gave up three more hits and a sacrifice fly that put the Giants ahead, 10-5.

"To go from no hits to nine hits and 10 runs ... just one of those days," Russell said.

It was the first time since Aug. 19, 2003 -- not all that long ago, predictably -- that the Pirates gave up 10 in an inning. And it came, as several players pointed out, with just one ball -- Sandoval's -- struck particularly hard.

"I thought it was just me," Karstens said. "Then, the same thing happened to T.J."

The teams combined for four errors and several other misplays, two official wild pitches and three others to the backstop, five hit batsmen, and it all took a numbing three hours, 20 minutes to complete.

First baseman Doug Mientkiewicz, the Pirates' emotional leader, offered a viewpoint that might well resonate with many of the team's followers.

"It's tired," he said. "I've only been here six months, and I'm already sick of hearing about the future. I know it's important, but you've got to play well now. It's frustrating. It is. We're just going to have to keep plugging along, figure out who can play and who can't. And everyone has to understand it's a privilege to be here. It's not given away. Give me 25 guys who fight. Give me that over talent. ... Let's win now."


Dejan Kovacevic can be reached at dkovacevic@post-gazette.com.
First published on September 8, 2008 at 12:00 am

Box score
Statistics
Standings

Today

Game: Pirates vs. Houston Astros, 8:05 p.m., Minute Maid Park.

TV/Radio: FSN Pittsburgh, WPGB-FM (104.7).

Pitching: RHP Ian Snell (6-10, 5.59) vs. RHP Alberto Arias (0-0, 2.63).

Key matchup: With Carlos Lee and Ty Wigginton out with injuries, Houston's most threatening bat might be Hunter Pence, 16 for 34 over his current nine-game hitting streak.

Of note: Since the Pirates swept three in Houston July 21-23, the Astros have gone 30-12. Their 32-16 record since the All-Star break is second-best in Major League Baseball, behind the Tampa Bay Rays.

Steelers embarrass Texans in season opener

By Ron Cook
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/
Monday, September 08, 2008

Peter Diana/Post-Gazette

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin celebrates a touchdown against the Texans yesterday at Heinz Field. Tomlin is 2-0 in season openers.

This beating took Houston Texans pass-rush specialist N.D. Kalu back, way back, probably back to the 1996 season when he played his final season at Rice University. The Owls opened that year at Ohio State and were licked, 70-7.

In the NFL, a 38-17 whipping is just as bad.

"It felt like a big college powerhouse playing against one of those small schools," Kalu said after the Steelers took out their paddle and delivered a big-time spanking yesterday at Heinz Field.

"I looked across the field and their starters were out in the third quarter. They didn't even have to finish the game. It's embarrassing. Really, really embarrassing.

"We got exposed."

The Texans did not see this annihilation coming. This is their seventh season in the NFL. It's supposed to be their year to have their first winning record and, finally, compete for a playoff spot.

And it starts with a three-touchdown whipping in a game that wasn't even that close?

"I'm extremely surprised," coach Gary Kubiak said. "I've got no excuses for you. We got manhandled. Obviously, we weren't close to good enough."


Matt Freed/Post-Gazette

Hines Ward celebrates his second quarter touchdown against the Texans with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

Defensive end Anthony Weaver tried hard to be positive.

"Do I think we're that bad? No, I don't," he said.

You know the follow-up question, right?

"The Steelers are a hell of a team. They're a hell of a franchise," Kubiak said. "Their quarterback is one great player, the job that he does. Defensively, they don't give up big plays. You know that going in. You've got to find a way to go toe-to-toe with them. We didn't do it."

I asked offensive tackle Eric Winston the same question.

"Absolutely. They're the Steelers, aren't they?" he said. "Polamalu, Farrior, they've been doing it forever. Casey Hampton has been to the Pro Bowl 100 times ...

"I see only two ways to beat them here. You have to line up and pound them and beat them at their own game. Jacksonville was the only team to do that here last season. Or you have to do it the way New England did it. You have to have a lot of great athletes and spread 'em out.

"Obviously, we didn't do it either way."


Matt Freed/Post-Gazette

James Farrior and Nick Eason take down Texans quarterback Matt Schaub in the third quarter Sunday afternoon.

Rookie offensive tackle Duane Brown -- the Texans' No. 1 draft pick from Virginia Tech -- might have been most impressed after Steelers linebacker James Harrison schooled him in his first NFL start. He was beaten for two of Harrison's three sacks and would have given up a few more if he hadn't gotten away with holding. That Winston tried to offer a little veteran's comfort -- "Fortunately, I didn't have to block [Harrison]" -- didn't do much to ease the kid's agony.

"I didn't stick with my techniques and the crowd got to me a little," Brown said. "I know it's my first game and this is the NFL, but I wish I could have done better."

All of the Texans thought that way, starting with Kubiak, who saw his curious decision to go for it on fourth-and-one at the Steelers 48 early in the game blow up when quarterback Matt Schaub's sneak was stuffed by Hampton and Brett Keisel. Soon after, Schaub threw an interception to linebacker LaMarr Woodley to put the Texans in a deep hole and force them to abandon their running game. "I am extremely disappointed in myself," Schaub said.

Added guard Chester Pitts, "There just weren't many holes in their defense. There wasn't any space for us to get things going."

Defensively, the Texans might have taken an even worse beating. Steelers running back Willie Parker gashed them for 138 yards and three touchdowns in three quarters before calling it an easy and satisfying day. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger completed 13 of 14 passes for 137 yards and a couple of touchdowns to wide receiver Hines Ward before joining Parker on the sideline -- much to Kalu's and the Texans' dismay -- and putting on his ball cap, backward, of course.


Peter Diana/Post-Gazette

Steelers Aaron Smith stops the Texans runningback Steve Slaton.

"They only threw it 18 times," Kubiak said. "In the NFL, if you only make a team throw 18 times, you're going to be in deep trouble. That's controlling the football game."

The Steelers controlled this one from the start.

It made for a long flight home for the Texans.

"We laid an egg," Pitts said, "but you have to tip your hat to those guys.

"They're pretty good."

Ron Cook can be reached at rcook@post-gazette.com.
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First published on September 8, 2008 at 12:00 am

Near-perfect performance in win vs. Texans

By Bob Smizik
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/steelers/
Monday, September 08, 2008


Peter Diana/Post-Gazette

Ben Roethlisberger drops back to pass.

There is nothing more appropriate for a near-perfect, late-summer Sunday afternoon in Pittsburgh than a near-perfect, season-opening football game by the Steelers.

And so it was that the Steelers opened their 76th season with a wondrous flirtation with perfection. Of course, perfection can never be achieved in a football game. There always will be a missed block here, a blown assignment there. But Steelers misplays were rare yesterday at Heinz Field as they dispatched the Houston Texans with remarkable ease.

The final score was 38-17, but that doesn't begin to describe the supremacy the Steelers held in all phases of the game. They led, 35-3, with nine minutes remaining.

"I think we played a good game in virtually all three phases," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. "It was not perfect but I liked the energy and enthusiasm from the people who went out and made plays."

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was near-flawless, completing 13 of 14 passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns. Willie Parker, in his first real game since his leg was broken late last season, ran 25 times for 138 yards. Hines Ward caught two touchdown passes. The highly suspect offensive line dominated, although Roethlisberger was sacked twice.


Peter Diana/Post-Gazette

Troy Polamalu tackles the Texans' Steve Slaton for no gain.

As good as that performance was, the defense, at least for the first 51 minutes, was better. "Get after the quarterback, create turnovers and shut down the run -- that's what great defenses do and that's what we want to strive for," end Brett Keisel said.

That's precisely what the Steelers did. Houston quarterback Matt Schaub was sacked five times and threw two interceptions. The Houston running game was limited to 75 yards on 20 carries.

Special teams, for too long a Steelers weakness, were superb. Mitch Berger punted three times for a 43-yard average. Two of the punts were returned for a measly 5 yards. Most impressively, the Steelers shut down Houston's Andre Davis, who returned three kickoffs for touchdowns last season and averaged 30.3 yards per attempt. Davis brought back six kicks yesterday for an average of 18.7 yards.

The game was a rout in every manner from the outset. The Steelers scored the first three times they had the ball, with the third one being set up by an excellent interception by LaMarr Woodley. They were in position for a fourth consecutive touchdown when a Troy Polamalu interception gave them the ball on the Houston 32. But Roethlisberger was sacked and stripped of the ball on the first play. The subsequent return and a penalty gave the Texans the ball on the Steelers' 12.

What came next was the highlight of a day of highlights. The defense limited the Texans to minus-4 yards on three plays and Kris Brown came on to kick a field goal. If there was any doubt as to how this game would turn out, that defensive stand ended it.

The Steelers scored the first two times they had the ball in the third quarter. On the first drive they moved 71 yards in 10 plays with nine of the plays being runs.


Peter Diana/Post Gazette

Steelers linebacker LaMarr Woodley celebrates his interception with Brett Keisel.

"We felt like our offensive line was really dominating their front seven," Roethlisberger said. "You get a big chunk on first down, a big chunk on second down, you don't have to throw the ball."

Asked if he was surprised with the ease of the victory, Ward said: "It wasn't easy but I wasn't surprised. We feel like we have the best offense. The only team that can beat us is us."

So what does it all mean?

For starters, it should not generate giddy talk of another Super Bowl run, although that kind of optimism always will be there after such an impressive win.

Any victory must be measured against the quality of the opposition. Although they finished a respectable 8-8 last season and won three of their final four games, the Texans are a mediocre team with a below-average defense. The Steelers, particularly playing at home, are supposed to beat the Texans.

So the victory is no cause for celebration. The lopsidedness of it, however, does bode well for the future. There should be no surprise that Roethlisberger played extremely well. He's one of the best in the game. What was encouraging was the way the offensive line controlled the Texans and the way Parker showed no effects of his broken leg.

The aging defense played above expectations. What was most heartening was its ability to create turnovers -- two interceptions and a fumble. The Steelers were alarmingly deficient in this aspect of the game a year ago.

It was a good win, an encouraging win. But it was one win. Fifteen games remain and most won't be as easy as this one.

Bob Smizik can be reached at bsmizik@post-gazette.com.
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First published on September 8, 2008 at 12:00 am

Willie Parker rushes past the doubters

By Gene Collier
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Monday, September 08, 2008


Willie Parker celebrates after scoring his first touchdown.
Peter Diana/Post-Gazette

Doubting Willie Parker remains a cultural entertainment fixture no matter what happens, like "Saving Private Ryan," "Desperately Seeking Susan," and "Waking Ned Devine." You can always access Doubting Willie Parker, and usually you don't even have to download it; you just throw the door open and you'll hear the moaning mixed into the standard Steelers' cacophony.

For reasons clear only to the noisemakers, it seems to make no difference that Willie Everette Parker owns the franchise's single-game rushing record (223 yards), the record for longest run from scrimmage in the history of the Super Bowl (75 yards), two Pro Bowl appointments, or an NFL-best eight 100-yard games only last fall.

They doubted he could make the club in 2004, doubted he could supplant Jerome Bettis as the main horse in 2005, doubted he could rehabilitate himself to 100 percent of the back who was leading the league in rushing when he broke his leg in December, doubted he could hold off first-round pick Rashard Mendenhall for the lion's share of the workload, and most of all and always and forever, doubted he could be an effective weapon deep in the red zone.

"I told my teammates I was willing to do whatever it takes to be the goal-line back," Parker said in the minutes after the Steelers swamped Houston in the Heinz Field opener. "That's what I tried to show today."

What Parker showed was another soaring 100-plus cadenza on opening day, 138 yards on 25 carries this time, much like his 109 last year at Cleveland, much like his 115 the year before against Miami, much like his 161 the year before that against Tennessee. More pointedly, he scored on runs of 7, 13 and 4 yards, which was not only the first three-touchdown game of his career, but left him with more touchdowns in yesterday's first three quarters than he had in all of 2007.

Matt Freed/Post-Gazette

Willie Parker works around Mario Williams and DeMeco Ryans in the first quarter Sunday afternoon.

Head coaches will insist beyond all credulity that it doesn't matter who scores the touchdown so long as they get scored, but when Willie Parker's on pace for 48 of 'em, the Steelers have to look awfully dangerous.

"I'm ecstatic for him," said Hines Ward, who scored the other two touchdowns as the offense went 5 for 5 inside the 20. "I'm ecstatic for the offensive line, too. When Willie's getting to the end zone, that helps everything. I mean we're still a running, play-action team. We've been that all 11 years I've been here except for one when we were slingin' it around in the Tommy Gun."

Yeah, Slinging Tommy Gun didn't exactly break the box office around here as viable long-term entertainment, but very few times in recent history has a Steelers team looked so defiant in terms of its running game as it did at the start of yesterday's second half.

The Steelers had gone to the intermission locker room up, 21-3, with the Texans showing no pulse whatsoever until Mario Williams stripped Ben Roethlisberger of the ball and DeMeco Ryans ran 59 yards with it to set up a Kris Brown field goal, puncturing what had been a 21-0 Steelers lead. In fact, despite a 32-yard run on what would be his final carry, the longest Parker ran yesterday was chasing Ryans.

"I was almost done for the rest of the game after chasing DeMeco Ryans," Parker joked.

But he wasn't even close to done.

On their first possession after halftime, the Steelers rolled 71 yards on 10 plays, nine of them on the ground. Parker got the call on the first four, spinning for 12, 9, 8 and 3 yards.

"Our defense is always telling me I got no moves," Parker said. "The defense told me they don't like backs who are spinning all the time, so I decided I'd put that in my repertoire."


Peter Diana/Post-Gazette

Willie Parker celebrates after scoring his second touchdown.

He didn't need much of a spin on the 4-yard touchdown run that made it 28-3, especially when all he had to do was cut upfield from the spot where left tackle Marvel Smith had just buried Houston corner Fred Bennett. Roethlisberger went 1 for 1 on that drive, a little misdirection swing pass to Carey Davis that got 10 yards to the Texans' 6. Otherwise it was a hammering metronome that went, again, Parker for 12, Parker for 9, Parker for 8, Parker for 3, Mendenhall for 6, Mendenhall for 9, Parker for 3, Parker for 2, Parker for 4 and the score.

Willie said he could remember similar offensive statements, but not this early.

"Not this early in the season, probably not," Parker said. "We've probably never developed the momentum in the running game like that until the middle of the season. I'm just happy to touch the end zone three times; it's something I always wanted to do. Being a goal-line back is just part of being a running back."

And somehow, part of being this particular brilliant, gifted running back is hearing the same sorry soundtrack from the public orchestra of the underwhelmed.

"Willie Parker looked like we expected him to look," said coach Mike Tomlin. "He's a very good back and a great competitor. I'm glad he's a Steeler."

Some in the larger audience might want to look elsewhere for entertainment. Doubting Willie Parker is getting awfully tiresome.

Gene Collier can be reached at gcollier@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1283. More articles by this author
First published on September 8, 2008 at 12:00 am

Duke unfazed by earthquake, Giants' lineup

Pirates' lefty gets second career shutout in 7-0 victory

By Dejan Kovacevic
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/
Saturday, September 06, 2008

Zach Duke works against the San Francisco Giants in the first inning of yesterday's baseball gamein San Francisco. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

SAN FRANCISCO -- There are pitchers who avoid getting rattled, but this is the extreme.
Zach Duke pitched a six-hit shutout to push the Pirates past the San Francisco Giants, 7-0, last night, and he did so through a light earthquake that registered 4.0 on the Richter Scale and was felt by many of the 31,133 at AT&T Park. It struck just before midnight Eastern time, coming with two outs in the sixth inning as Duke fielded an Emmanuel Burriss squibber to the right of the mound.

"Really?" Duke said, informed of this minutes afterward. "I had no idea."

Neither did manager John Russell or any of his players.

"Didn't feel a thing," Russell said.

"You're kidding, right?" left fielder Nyjer Morgan said.

It was no joke: The earthquake, the first felt at a Giants game since the 1989 World Series was delayed by a 6.9 boomer at nearby Candlestick Park, was centered northeast of San Francisco in Contra Costa County. It was felt throughout the city and, at the stadium, mostly in the upper deck.

There was no delay in this game and, to hear Duke tell it, that was just fine.
"This was a pretty gratifying game for me," he said.

Small wonder: It was his second career shutout, third complete game, first victory on the road since May 27, 2007 at Cincinnati, and first victory anywhere since June 9.

Perhaps most "gratifying" of all given his intense personality, he did it with trademark tenacity.

San Francisco, lowest-scoring team in Major League Baseball, put seven men aboard in the first four innings, largely as the result of Duke's erratic pitching. That included three hits, two walks and a hit batsman that generated plenty of trouble.

"One thing that's hurt Zach this season has been the big inning," Russell said. "And it looked like that might happen again."

Looked that way in the first, but shortstop Brian Bixler made a diving stab of Bengie Molina's grounder that looked to be an RBI single up the middle. He rolled in the grass and flipped to Freddy Sanchez for the forceout to end the inning.

"All I'm thinking is to keep the ball in the infield to keep the guy at second from scoring," Bixler said. "Once I had it cleanly, I went for the out."

"Great play," Duke said.

In the third, bases were loaded with nobody out, but Duke got a 5-2-3 double play and another groundout.

"That was where he settled, right there," Russell said.

"I knew after that that the momentum was up to me to keep," Duke said.

Ben Margot/Associated Press
Andy LaRoche (15) and Nate McLouth (13) congratulate teammate Ryan Doumit after scoring against the San Francisco Giants during the seventh inning of yesterday's baseball gam in San Francisco.

He promptly returned the favor to the infield, too: In the fourth, third baseman Andy LaRoche committed a two-base error to open it, but Duke zipped through the next three batters to strand the runner at third.

"It's been an interesting year for me, obviously, but I'm never going to give up," Duke said. "I'm going to work my butt off and know that there are better days ahead."

And the key to this one?

"The sinker. A lot of balls were beaten right into the dirt. Early on, my command wasn't there, but everything started clicking."

Duke had a pitch count of 105 after eight, but Russell never hesitated in sending him back out for the ninth, largely because of his late efficiency. He needed just seven pitches, a popup and two more groundouts -- 17 outs came on the ground -- to finish his first shutout since May 2, 2006 at Chicago against the Cubs.

Offensively, after some early sputters, the Pirates wound up with 14 hits, four of those by Ryan Doumit to match a career high. Those came in his first four at-bats, extending a streak of reaching base safely nine consecutive times -- seven hits, two walks -- until he flied out in his final appearance. The official 7-for-7 run was the team's first since Sanchez did it May 30-31, 2006.

The Pirates led, 3-0, through six: That came on back-to-back doubles by Doumit and Adam LaRoche in the second, Nate McLouth's sacrifice fly in the next inning off San Francisco starter Kevin Correia, and LaRoche's sacrifice fly in the fifth.

Brandon Moss had left six runners aboard in his first three at-bats, but he nullified that with a two-run triple in the seventh that made it 5-0 and a sacrifice fly in the ninth.

Morgan also had a sacrifice fly, his in the eighth, giving the Pirates four to match a team record.


Dejan Kovacevic can be reached at dkovacevic@post-gazette.com.
First published on September 6, 2008 at 1:13 am

Box score
Statistics
Standings

Today

Game: Pirates vs. San Francisco Giants, 9:05 p.m., AT&T Park.

Radio: WPGB-FM (104.7).

Pitching: LHP Paul Maholm (8-8, 3.81) vs. RHP Matt Cain (8-11, 3.69).

Key matchup: Freddy Sanchez, a career .315 hitter against San Francisco, is 4 for 9 with three doubles and a walk vs. Cain.

Of note: Three players in Major League Baseball -- the Colorado Rockies' Willy Taveras, New York Mets' Jose Reyes and Boston Red Sox's Jacoby Ellsbury -- have more stolen bases than the Pirates' 41

Let's hope we see more from Polamalu in '08

By Ron Cook
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/
Saturday, September 06, 2008

The most recent time the Steelers played the Houston Texans and knocked them silly, they lined up afterward to gush about Troy Polamalu.
"He's a unique player," coach Bill Cowher said.

"He's our playmaker, our star," linebacker Larry Foote said.

"It's an honor to be on the same field with him," safety Mike Logan said.

That was 2005. Polamalu tied an NFL record for a safety that day by getting three of the Steelers' eight sacks in a 27-7 win.

Is it just me or does it seem as if that game was a lifetime ago?

Polamalu hasn't been the same player since his first knee injury in the 2006 season. He made the Pro Bowl again last season, but that was more on reputation and big hair than production and big plays. He missed five games because of injuries and didn't have a sack or an interception.

That's why Polamalu said something the other day that shocked me.

"I'll take another year just like last year if our defense is just as good."

Let the man explain.

"Football is a team game. Our defense had a chance to be the all-time greatest defense in the history of the game. No defense has ever led the league in total defense, rush defense, pass defense, scoring defense. We had a chance to do all of those things."

We debated just how good the Steelers' defense was. Sure, it ranked No. 1 in the NFL. But it also collapsed at the end of four losses, including the one to Jacksonville in the playoffs.

Polamalu said the Steelers were "really beat down" late in the season, suggesting coach Mike Tomlin might have practiced the fellows a bit too hard. He added he thinks Tomlin learned a lesson and has scaled back his practices.

Our conversation got really interesting when I mentioned how the defense would be even better if a certain safety made a few more big plays. It's been 14 games since Polamalu had a sack, 18 since he had an interception.

"My job isn't to make big plays," he said.

I couldn't believe it, either.

So why did the Steelers give Polamalu a $33 million deal before last season?

"My job is to create big plays," he said. "They could be for me or for someone else. Maybe I can do it by disguising a coverage. Or maybe by pulling an offensive lineman to me on a blitz. If I can do that, James Harrison might be one-on-one with a running back. I'll take that matchup every time."

We agreed Polamalu's worth can't be measured by statistics alone. He makes life miserable for a quarterback because of the confusion he causes. Is he going to line up here? Or there? Is he going to blitz? Or drop back into coverage?

But I didn't yield the point: When Polamalu is at his disruptive best, he gets his share of big plays. Harrison doesn't get 'em all.

"I know I have to make the plays when the opportunities are there,"
Polamalu conceded.

There was total agreement on the final two issues: injuries and big money.

Polamalu has to find a way to stay healthy. It was unsettling when he came to training camp with a bad hamstring. He didn't work out with the Steelers in the offseason -- never a good thing -- so he could train with fitness guru Marv Marinovich in California. Then, he showed up lame and missed most of the exhibition season.

"Physically, I feel good," Polamalu said. "I'm actually way fresher now than I would be if I had gone through camp."

Still, we'll watch the man closely, maybe holding our breath while we do. He had knee, rib and oblique injuries last season. In '06, he missed three games because of a knee problem, left another with a concussion and had a bad shoulder. Heaven forbid we're looking at a trend.

"The first time I hurt my knee, the pile landed on me. There was nothing I could do about that," Polamalu said.

"Last year, my knee was driven right into the turf in New York, which was like pavement. Those things are going to happen.

"So, no, I don't feel like my body is breaking down."

Talking money with anybody is a sensitive subject. So it was with Polamalu.
"I don't play football for prestige or money," he said. "I play because I love the game."

What athlete doesn't say that? I roll my eyes, too. It's always easy to say the money doesn't matter when you're making millions.

But I believe Polamalu. His values are just different. His innocence was palpable when he told of his conversation with former Steelers secondary coach Darren Perry after his interception late against Indianapolis in the 2005 playoffs was disallowed because of a blown call. "DP told me they were messing with my money," Polamalu said. "I had no idea what he was talking about. Then, he explained that they pay you more when you make those plays in big games. That's when I thought, 'That [blown call] really stinks.' "

It worked out OK for Polamalu. He got his Super Bowl ring and his big contract.

"I don't even know what I make," he said, shrugging.

The rest of us know.

Fairly or not, it contributes to how we judge Polamalu as a player.

Three more sacks against the Texans tomorrow would make it a lot easier to think the Steelers are getting their money's worth.

Ron Cook can be reached at rcook@post-gazette.com.
More articles by this author
First published on September 6, 2008 at 12:05 am

Steelers left guard Kemoeatu plays with nasty edge as Faneca's heir

Season opener: Steelers vs. Texans

By Gerry Dulac
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/
Friday, September 05, 2008

Chris Kemoeatu arrived at training camp 15 pounds lighter than last season, all part of the preparation for his new role as the replacement for Alan Faneca at left guard.

And while nobody is expecting him to perform at the same level as Faneca, a seven-time Pro Bowl selection, the Steelers are expecting him to perform some of the same roles. Among them: Pulling from the left side on the team's counter plays, something Faneca did to textbook perfection.

So far, that has been the least of Kemoeatu's problems as he begins his first season as a starter.

"He comes around the edge when he's pulling, whether it's a goal-line play or a trap play, and he kills people," said center Justin Hartwig.

"Especially those linebackers," said Kemoeatu, managing a wry smile through a dark, shaggy beard. "You have to take advantage of that."

Kemoeatu, a sixth-round pick in 2005, and Hartwig, who was signed in free agency to replace Sean Mahan, will be two of the three new starters for the Steelers when they open their regular season at 1 p.m. Sunday against the Houston Texans at Heinz Field.

As such, they will be two of the most-scrutinized players on an offensive line that struggled and underachieved last season, even though the Steelers finished second in the AFC in rushing.

Hartwig, beginning his seventh NFL season, doesn't have to look far to know how Kemoeatu is performing. He is next to him in the offensive line. It is the first time the Steelers will begin the regular season with two new starters playing side-by-side in the offensive line since guard Keydrick Vincent and right tackle Oliver Ross in 2004 -- the year their line had more combinations than a bank vault.

"The thing that stands out most about him is he's very powerful," Hartwig said. "He blows people up. He hits people hard. He head-hunts. It's always good to play with a guy like that who has a little mean streak in him."

The offensive line likely could stand a little nastiness, especially after the rude manner in which Ben Roethlisberger has been treated the past two seasons by opposing defensive lines (93 sacks combined in 2006 and '07, more than any other NFL quarterback).

Kemoeatu, who said he weighs in the "high-330s," brings that.

He always has been a powerful run-blocker and has stood out in the preseason with some of his vicious blocks when he pulls. But his pass protection -- and his ability to switch off blocking assignments -- will be tested against the Texans, a team that relies on defensive end Mario Williams to ignite a series of stunts designed to create confusion in the offensive line.

"I think we're going to get better and better the more we play against different opponents, as far as adjusting to stuff, communicating and talking to each other," Kemoeatu said. "I think we'll improve in that area."

The Steelers are hoping that will happen.

That was one of the reasons they signed Hartwig from the Carolina Panthers and gave him a two-year, $3,750,000 contract. The coaches wanted a center who could isolate on a nose tackle or defensive tackle and not always need double-team help from one of the guards -- something they thought happened too frequently last season with Mahan.

Still, Hartwig has started only three games with his new linemates and, by his admission, is still developing the cohesion necessary for an efficient offensive line.

"It's something we always strive for," Hartwig said. "But I've worked with these guys for three weeks. The longer the line plays together, the better they play together. That's just the way it is. It's only a matter of time before we're operating at a really high level. I expect that to be sooner than later."

It would be apocryphal to say all eyes will be on Hartwig, primarily because centers rarely are noticed by anyone other than coaches.

Still, his arrival in free agency underscores the importance the team places on the position -- and the stability and longevity historically associated with it. The Steelers had three centers from 1974 to 2006 -- Mike Webster, Dermontti Dawson and Jeff Hartings. Hartwig will be the third in the past three years.

"I can't wait to get out there and show my teammates and the Steelers organization what level I can play at," Hartwig said. "I'm just really excited to get out there and play. In the preseason, if you mess up, you get upset about it, but, in the back of your mind, you know it doesn't necessarily mean anything. I just can't wait to get out there and play for the Steelers in a meaningful game."


Gerry Dulac can be reached at gdulac@post-gazette.com.
First published on September 5, 2008 at 12:00 am

Teammates embrace Big Ben as Steelers leader

"You can tell that he realizes this is his team."

By Ed Bouchette
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/
Thursday, September 04, 2008


Ben Roethlisberger hands off the ball to Willie Parker on October 29, 2006 against the Oakland Raiders.

Even without the new $100 million contract, the new C on his jersey, the new Pro Bowl ring, and the old Terry Bradshaw touchdown record, Ben Roethlisberger would be a superstar in Pittsburgh.

He is, after all, the only quarterback besides Bradshaw to win a Super Bowl for the Steelers, he enters his fifth season among the best at his position in the NFL and he maintains his sense of humor.

"If I get too big-headed, I get in motorcycle accidents," Roethlisberger cracked yesterday when the praise stacked high.

The place where he really has made progress, however, is in the locker room. Where once he seemed a loner and punk to teammates -- Hines Ward once called him "our wild child" -- he's now embraced more as a leader and even a friend by them. That was made more evident Monday when his teammates voted him and Ward co-captains of the offense.

"When you're young, you're young," said defensive end Aaron Smith, 32. "He's definitely matured. He's stepped into a leading role on this team, as a captain and as a player. I think he's really come a long way. He's always been a great player, but as a person and as a player, he's come a long way."

The old NFL philosophy was that it took five years for a quarterback to develop in the pros. Entering his fifth, Roethlisberger already achieved most everything. And now, there's little doubt that he also has attained control of his team. He has the track record and, at 26, the maturity to take over.

"Actually, he was a leader last year but now a lot of old faces aren't here anymore," Willie Parker said, "so it's his time to shine. He's really stepping up."

It's as if, since the departure of longtime offensive leader Alan Faneca, Roethlisberger has seized the chance to take control.

"You can tell that he realizes this is his team," tight end Heath Miller said.

A new head coach in Mike Tomlin and new coordinator in Bruce Arians gave Roethlisberger more responsibility last year by soliciting his input into the playbook, the game plans and the pass protections. He will have more this year, perhaps even an increased use of the no-huddle he ran so well at Miami (Ohio) University.

"The more I spend time with Bruce and we learn and make adjustments, the more freedom he will give me to make changes and adjust and hopefully get us in the right place and the best play possible," Roethlisberger said.

Roethlisberger broke Bradshaw's club record with 32 touchdown passes and his own record with a 104.1 passer rating last season. It was the best of his four, statistically, but Ward thinks we haven't seen anything yet.

"It's like night and day. Last year was his best year but it's scary now because he's starting to know his second and third reads and all that. You wonder how much better a season he can have coming into the second year of [Arians'] offense and having a better understanding of that."

Defensive end Brett Keisel is the closest friend Roethlisberger has in the locker room, and he disputes that the quarterback was snubbed last year when the players voted linebacker James Harrison as their MVP.

"Not to say Ben didn't play great last year," Keisel said, "but everyone thought James not only dominated on defense but on special teams too, and I think that's where he got the nod for that vote.

"Ben is a leader, he's a great leader. If you watch practice, you watch him, he has control of all his guys, he has control of the offensive line, everyone looks up to him for leadership. I think they're seeing that from him this year and that's why they elected him captain."

Because Roethlisberger is not big in the fantasy football world, he's not often mentioned among the league's best quarterbacks. But by any measure, he should be considered right after Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. His .709 winning percentage as a starter (39-16) is third among the league's quarterbacks and if he had 64 more passing attempts to qualify for the minimum of 1,500, his 92.5 career passer rating would rank him fifth in NFL history behind Steve Young at 96.8, Manning at 94.7, Kurt Warner at 93.2 and Brady at 92.9.

He did all this in his first four seasons in the league.

What might he do in his next four years, between now and 30?

"He's a young guy," Keisel said. "I think his best years are ahead of him. I think he gets better every year and he wants to win. He has that winner's attitude where he hates losing. He wants to do anything to win, and that's what the great quarterbacks have."

That others around the league have not yet concluded that Roethlisberger is such a quarterback might be their own fault, based on his accomplishments. He became the only quarterback in NFL history to go 13-0 as a starter and he did it as a rookie, then became the youngest starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl in his second season. His performance last season showed that 2006 was a fluke.

The acceptance in his own locker room is palpable.

"I really enjoy being around him," Aaron Smith said.

On the Web

Ed Bouchette and Gerry Dulac set up the Steelers' season opener against Houston on the
Steelers Report at post-gazette.com.For audio of Ben Roethlisberger talking about his leadership role go to post-gazette.com.

Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com.
First published on September 4, 2008 at 12:00 am

Cruz gets start; Bucs post win

By John Grupp
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/
Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Ian Snell releases a pitch against the Cincinnati Reds in the first inning of a baseball game.
David Kohl/AP photo

CINCINNATI -- Luis Cruz's major-league debut Tuesday night was akin to his unlikely ascension to the big-leagues.

Some good, some bad.

Of the 10 players who joined the Pirates on Tuesday as part of the September roster expansion, Luis Alfonso Cruz Jr. was the most unexpected.

The son of a Mexican League star center fielder, Cruz Jr. wasn't even on the 40-man roster 48 hours ago, but started at shortstop and batted second Tuesday night.

"Baseball, I love it," he said. "I'm happy to be here."

With a lot of new faces in a standing-room-only clubhouse, the slumping Pirates snapped a 10-game losing streak with a 3-2 victory against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park.

Brandon Moss and Andy LaRoche hit back-to-back homers off Reds starter Aaron Harang (4-15) in the second inning. It was LaRoche's first RBI since Aug.16 and his first run scored since Aug. 18.

"It was a good feeling," LaRoche said.

Moss finished 3 for 4 for his first career three-hit game.

It marked only the first time since Aug. 3 and the second time since the trade deadline -- when LaRoche and Moss were acquired -- that both players drove in a run in the same game.

"It's always a good feeling hitting a home run," LaRoche said. "It's even a better feeling with us getting a win. September is a new month. Hopefully, we can start rolling now."

The win comes after a brutal 7-21 August in which the Pirates fell into last place in the NL Central.

"We've been really pressing these past few games to get a win," Moss said. "It's a roller coaster ride. You have your ups and downs, and we just went through a prolonged down."

Winning pitcher Ian Snell scored the go-ahead run in the third.

With the score tied at 2-all, Snell, a career .086 hitter, drew a lead-off walk, moved to third on Nyjer Morgan's double and scored on Nate McLouth's one-out grounder for a 3-2 lead.

The Pirates nearly added another home run in the sixth inning, but Reds center fielder Corey Patterson robbed Adam LaRoche, pulled the ball back from over the wall nearly 400 feet away from home plate.

Still, Matt Capps pitched a perfect ninth for his 18th save. It was the first save since June 21 for Capps, who returned 10 days ago from a seven-week stint on the disabled list.

"It's a great feeling," Morgan said. "It shows the guys are out here working hard and we are just battling. Guys aren't getting down. We've just got to deal with it."

Snell (6-10) settled down after allowing a home run to Reds rookie Chris Dickerson to open the game. He allowed two runs -- one earned -- on seven hits over six innings. He struck out five and walked two.

"I was just keeping my fastball down and mixing pitches up," Snell said. "(Catcher Ryan) Doumit called a good game and we executed my sinker a little bit more to the lefties, and that's what got them to ground out and pop up."

Cruz, 24, said he "cried" when he learned he was among the 10 players from Indianapolis who were joining the big club about 100 miles away. They hopped on a chartered bus and traveled to join their new teammates in time for the 7:10 p.m. start.


Andy LaRoche (right) is congratulated by Ian Snell (left) after LaRoche hit a solo home run off Cincinnati Reds pitcher Aaron Harang in the second inning.
David Kohl/AP photo

Cruz's father, also Luis Cruz, played in the Mexican League from 1983-2000. He hit more than 200 home runs and was nearly a career .300 hitter, but never played a game in the major leagues. Later this year, the Mexican League Hall of Fame will consider Cruz for induction.

"It was hard because I couldn't have any friends because we were always traveling, and I had to go with him," Cruz said. "When I turned 13, I just stayed home and my brother, and my mom went with my dad. I stayed home with my grandmother and go to school."

Cruz, whose contract was purchased from Triple-A Indianapolis, started in place of Jack Wilson (bruised right index finger).

Cruz wasted no time following in his dad's footsteps. In his first major-league at-bat, he sent a broken bat single down the left-field line off Harang. He finished the night 1 for 4.

Cruz was caught stealing one batter later to begin an up-and-down night. He didn't handle a hot shot off Jay Bruce's bat in the second inning. He was tardy covering third base later in the inning, causing Snell to race to the bag as a back-up.

Then, with runners on second and third and no out in the third, Cruz popped out to shallow right.

Cruz was signed by the Pirates to a minor-league contract in December after playing 114 games last season in the San Diego Padres' farm system. He had spent six seasons in the Red Sox minor-league system, beginning as a 17-year-old out of Navojoa, Mexico about 300 miles west of the border.

He caught Russell's eye at spring training with his glove work and versatility. He played everything from middle infield to center field for the Pirates.

"I really like him," Russell said before the game. "I really like the athleticism. He really impressed us. We had a really good feeling about him when we left spring training."

The right-handed batting Cruz was hitting .325 with three home runs and 15 RBI in 31 games at Triple-A Indianapolis. He had homered three times in the past nine days when the Pirates purchased his contract. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Pirates

unconditionally released right-handed pitcher Ty Taubenheim.

"I had a bad season last year," Cruz said. "They gave me an opportunity and I took advantage of it. I want to show what I've got and what I can do."

John Grupp can be reached at jgrupp@tribweb.com or 412-320-7930.

Big Ben confronting rush job for opener

Houston boasts AFC's 2nd-best sacker last season in Williams

By Ed Bouchette
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/
Wednesday, September 03, 2008


NFL Week 1: Steelers vs. Texans

It could be a recipe for disaster: the Steelers' leaky pass protection vs. the AFC's second-best sacker from last season.

No quarterback in the AFC was sacked more often than Ben Roethlisberger (47 times) last season. Only one player in the conference rang up more sacks than Houston right defensive end Mario Williams, who had 14.

A movable object vs. an unstoppable force Sunday at Heinz Field?

It should not take long for the Steelers to discover if they improved their pass protection since last season.

"I've been pleased with the pocket in training camp and preseason, particularly in the area of play-action passing," coach Mike Tomlin said yesterday. "That's been good. But again, we'll have a better sense of where it is on Sunday."

Only Cliff Stoudt was sacked more as a Steelers quarterback than Roethlisberger was in either of the past two seasons. Stoudt was sacked 52 times in 1983. Roethlisberger was sacked 46 times in 2006.

Tomlin made two changes in the offensive line since last season. Chris Kemoeatu will start at left guard in place of seven-time Pro Bowler Alan Faneca, who will pull on a New York Jets uniform this weekend. Justin Hartwig, signed after Carolina cut him, won the job at center from Sean Mahan, who held it last season and was traded back to Tampa Bay yesterday.

There's one way to know if the line is better than last season: "Really, the only way you do it is playing together," Tomlin said. "Those are problems everybody has, any time you have turnover. In today's NFL, you have turnover. They have some new guys. Everyone's working on cohesion. That's what makes September football so exciting. It will be exciting this weekend and hopefully it will be exciting in a positive way for us."

Tomlin and his offensive coaches have pointed out many times that protecting the quarterback is not just the job of the line. It begins with the line protection calls -- Roethlisberger can check out of those -- and includes blocking by the tight end and the third-down backs and the quarterback recognizing blitzes and receivers and communicating on those.

There's also the matter of the quarterback knowing when to throw, how quickly to do so and whether to try to make a play when he's flushed from the pocket or to spike it and take the incompletion.

The Texans' Williams figures in the Steelers' offensive game plan.

"This guy is extremely powerful and athletic," Tomlin said. "He runs his line stunts very efficiently. This morning, I counted four steps he took to get to the quarterback on a [tight end] stunt. That's not a lot of time. Somebody's got to block this guy. That's what makes him who he is. That's why they drafted him first overall."

The good news for the Steelers is that while Williams had 14 sacks last season, they were almost half of his team's total of 31. That's five fewer than the Steelers had and they were not happy with their 36 sacks on defense last season.

Williams lines up at right defensive end in the Texans' 4-3 defense, but he can come from anywhere.

"He's a talented player, very disruptive, athletic, powerful, in the backfield a bunch," Tomlin said. "They've got a variety of line stunts that are very difficult to pick up, not only getting hats on hats, but once you get some hats on hats, you've got to win those battles.

"They're going to move him around if what they've done in the past is any indication, I should say. They've moved him around in the past and I would anticipate they move him around again."

The Texans also believe that defensive tackle Amobi Okoye, the 10th overall draft pick in 2007, will be improved as a pass rusher in his second season after he recorded 5.5 sacks as a rookie.

Newcomer Mewelde Moore will serve as the Steelers' third-down back and that comes with the responsibility of picking up the blitzing linebacker and also being a safety valve when Roethlisberger gets into trouble. It's another area where they believe they've improved their pass protection.

Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com.
First published on September 3, 2008 at 12:00 am

Frattare headlines Frick hopefuls

09/01/2008 12:26 AM ET
By Jenifer Langosch / MLB.com

http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=pit

Lanny Frattare has been the "Voice of the Pirates" for two generations of Bucs fans. (Gene J. Puskar/AP)

PITTSBURGH -- In Pittsburgh, players have come and gone with relative frequency. Management teams have been transient as well. In other words, finding any fixtures within the Pirates franchise would be a challenge.

Noted Pirates broadcaster Lanny Frattare, however, certainly bucks that trend. And because of that, many would consider him the face of this franchise due to his long tenure behind the microphone. If nothing else, Frattare has certainly been "the Voice of the Pirates."

His voice has brought up the last two generations of Pirates fans, and now in his 33rd year of calling Bucs games, Frattare trails only two other baseball broadcasters in terms of number of years behind the microphone.
Now, Frattare is among four current Pirates broadcasters who are eligible for the prestigious Ford C. Frick Award, an honor that is presented annually to a broadcaster for "major contributions to baseball."

Joining Frattare as a 2009 nominee are Steve Blass, Greg Brown and Bob Walk. Former Pirates broadcasters Al Helfer, Jim Rooker, Rosey Roswell, John Sanders and Jim Woods are also among those on the ballot this year.
Active or retired broadcasters with at least 10 years of continuous Major League service with a club, network, or combination of the two are eligible for the yearly award.

Balloting for the 2009 Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasting excellence begins Sept. 1 with the top three vote getters by the fans automatically qualifying for the 10-member ballot that will be formulated by a 20-member committee and announced Oct. 6. The winner will be announced Dec. 9 at the Winter Meetings in Las Vegas and will receive the award during the induction ceremony July 26, 2009, at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Fans may vote for up to three of their favorites among 210 broadcasters eligible in balloting conducted exclusively on the Hall's Web site, baseballhalloffame.org , which will carry biographical sketches of each candidate. Fans can vote up to once a day throughout September. Results will be announced when voting concludes Sept. 30. There will be no updates provided during the voting period.

Dave Niehaus, the long-time voice of the Seattle Mariners, was the recipient at the 2008 induction in July, which marked the 30th anniversary of the award that was first presented to legendary figures Mel Allen and Red Barber. The award was named for the late broadcaster, National League President, Commissioner and Hall of Famer. Frick was a driving force behind the creation of the Hall of Fame and helped foster the relationship between radio and the game of baseball.

The three broadcasters named to the ballot last year through online voting were the Cincinnati Reds' Joe Nuxhall, the Oakland Athletics' Bill King and Hall of Fame second baseman Joe Morgan of "Sunday Night Baseball." The other nominees selected by the 20-member committee were former "Game of the Week" broadcasters Dizzy Dean and Tony Kubek; play-by-play voices Tom Cheek (Toronto Blue Jays), Ken Coleman (Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox), Dave Van Horne (Montreal Expos, Florida Marlins) and broadcasting legend Graham McNamee (NBC), who called 12 World Series, beginning in 1923.

The Pirates franchise has never had anyone spend more years behind the microphone calling games than Frattare. Joining the organization in 1976, he earned that distinction when he passed Bob Prince in 2004, following his 29th year calling Bucs games. Prince, known affectionately by fans as "The Gunner," was named the recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award in 1986.
Only Cardinals radio broadcaster Mike Shannon has been broadcasting games for his current team for more years than Frattare has called games in Pittsburgh.

After having spent 10 seasons as a pitcher for the Pirates, Blass joined the organization's broadcast team in 1983. He became a fixture on Pirates radio three years later. Combining both his playing and broadcasting tenures in Pittsburgh, Blass has now been associated with the Pirates organization for 45 years. Blass, the recipient of the Pride of the Pirates Award for a lifetime of service to the franchise in 2002, is arguably best known for leading the Pirates to their fourth world championship with complete-game wins in Games No. 3 and 7 of the 1971 World Series.

Play-by-play announcer Brown is finishing his 15th season calling games for the Pirates. Brown joined the organization following stints as a broadcaster for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League, and after spending five years doing play-by-play for the Buffalo Bisons of the American Association. He is one of just six Pirates broadcasters to have spent at least 14 years calling Pirates games on the radio.

Walk joins Brown as one of those six. Like Brown, the 2008 season is Walk's 15th year behind the microphone. Prior to joining the Pittsburgh broadcast team, Walk put together a 14-year Major League playing career as a right-handed pitcher. Ten of those seasons came in a Pirates uniform, where Walk compiled a cumulative 82-61 record.

Helfer, who passed away in May 1975, spent the first two of his 23 years calling Major League games with Pittsburgh. As a play-by-play announcer, Helfer sat behind the microphone during the 1933 and 1934 seasons. The man nicknamed "Mr. Radio Baseball" called 14 no-hitters in his career and is said to have formed the first radio play-by-play team, when he and Red Barber worked alongside each other.

Rooker spent 13 seasons calling games for the Pirates, beginning in 1981, the year following his retirement as a player. While his performance on the mound in Game 5 of the 1979 World Series is widely remembered around Pittsburgh, so is a promise Rooker made -- and fulfilled -- in 1989.

After the Pirates took a 10-0 lead over the Phillies in a game played at the old Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, Rooker made the ill-advised promise that "if we lose this game, I'll walk home." The Pirates did end up losing, but Rooker turned his promise into a charity opportunity, creating "Rook's Unintentional Walk" later that year. The "Walk" spanned the 315 miles from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh and raised $40,000 for charity.
Rosewell spent the entirety of his 19-year broadcasting career with the Pirates, from 1936-54. His notoriety began when he was named the Pirates' "most faithful fan" after the team claimed the 1925 World Series championship. He channeled that passion into a career behind the microphone, where he used colorful phrases, such as calling a strikeout pitch a "dipsy-dodle" and yelling "raise the window, Aunt Minnie, here she comes" when a home run was hit.

A fixture behind the microphone for 25 seasons, Sanders spent the first nine of those (1982-90) in Pittsburgh. Sanders served as the play-by-play announcer on KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh during that time before joining the Cleveland Indians broadcast team in 1991.

For Woods, the Pirates were the third stop in a career that would take him behind the microphone for six different Major League teams. Pittsburgh also proved to be his longest stop. Spending 12 seasons (1958-69) with the Pirates, "the Possum" spent a total of 31 years calling Major League games.

This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Rooneys’ ties to Steelers at risk of ending

By Jason Cole, Yahoo! Sports
September 1, 2008


Dan Rooney, with Roger Goodell, prior to the season opener in 2006.
(US Presswire/Craig Melvin)

The silence at the other end of the phone line was telling. The owner of one NFL team, a wealthy man generally not afraid to speak his mind, took a long, deep breath when asked about an issue that cut truly to the heart of the league.

What would the NFL be like without the Rooney Family running the Pittsburgh Steelers? Specifically, what would happen if Dan Rooney, the affable elder statesman, were no longer a significant part of the league?

“I don’t really want to get into this,” the owner said before demanding anonymity. The request was made with a joking threat of physical harm.

At least it sounded like a joke.

“It’s really hard for me to imagine the NFL without Dan Rooney and his family running the Pittsburgh Steelers,” the owner said. “Obviously, a lot of what I’m saying has to do with tradition, legacy and a lot of that sentimental stuff that all you guys in the media think we don’t give a (darn) about … but it’s really more than that.

“I ran companies before I got to the NFL and really good, well-run companies – and the NFL is a really good, well-run company – have people throughout the company who care deeply about the company … Yes, they are emotionally invested and Dan Rooney is emotionally invested in this league. He wants to make money. We all do. But there’s a way you make money and show your customers that you care. Dan knows how to do that.

“Yes, he’s our moral compass. That’s a fair way to put it.”

Yet, this proud and accomplished franchise could soon be headed in a different direction.

Financial wizard Stanley Druckenmiller has made an effort to buy controlling interest in the team. Druckenmiller, who is worth an estimated $3.5 billion, has offered to buy out the other four Rooney brothers. Each of the five brothers owns 16 percent of the team (the final 20 percent is owned by another set of relatives).

Druckenmiller, a Steelers fan who started his career in Pittsburgh and lived in the city for 30 years, would own 64 percent of the team if he succeeds. According to published reports in Pittsburgh, he has offered $640 million to the four brothers who are willing to sell and who have hired a firm to represent them.

If that were to happen, the Rooneys would no longer be the majority owners after 75 years. The team was founded in 1933 by family patriarch Art Rooney Sr. Art Sr. and son Dan are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame as contributors to the league. Dan Rooney is also considered one of the league’s great consensus builders, a peacemaker among ultra-competitive rich men because of his understated and folksy approach.

“Dan Rooney is arguably the most beloved and respected owner in the NFL today with tremendous loyalties built up over many years,” said Marc Ganis, the president of Sportscorp Limited, a sports business consulting firm. “There’s no chance in the world they will throw him overboard if he can find a way to make this work.”

Under its rules, the NFL can continue to have Dan be the controlling owner of the team as long as it wants, according to Ganis, who has done projects with more than a third of the NFL’s 32 teams.

“Think of the NFL as a New York co-op,” Ganis said, comparing the league to the housing cooperatives throughout metropolitan New York. “Someone with incredible wealth can try to come in and buy their way into a co-op and you, as the seller, may want to sell to them. But if the board of that co-op association doesn’t want you in that association, you don’t get it.

“The NFL has that kind of power and more to approve whoever they want to be the controlling owner of a team.”

Realistically, in order for Dan Rooney to hold off Druckenmiller or any other investor, he’ll need an influx of cash. Dan Rooney has reportedly been looking for investors in recent weeks to come up with enough money to become majority owner and pay off his brothers, who want to cash out.

Dan Rooney declined to talk about the issue two weeks ago, but he and his brothers met with commissioner Roger Goodell, Cincinnati owner Mike Brown, New Orleans owner Tom Benson and Carolina owner Jerry Richardson in New York last week to discuss the matter. While no solution was announced, Goodell said that it was emphasized to the brothers that any sale was subject to approval by three-fourths of the owners.

“They’ve run a model franchise, and I think everyone in Pittsburgh recognizes how proud they are of the Steelers, and we in the NFL recognize how fortunate we have been to have Dan Rooney’s leadership and now Art’s leadership,” Goodell said after the 2½-hour meeting.

Goodell emphasized that the league’s owners would prefer that Dan Rooney, who net worth hasn’t been revealed, stay in charge of the Steelers. That preference could be enough to sway the brothers to sell their interests to Dan at a less price, hoping to avoid challenges from the league.

Still, as the one owner said, this is not an easy transaction.

“We’re talking about a lot money that has to change hands and that Dan has to come up with at the end of the day to keep his brothers happy,” the one owner said. “You’d like to think it should be able to happen, but this is the fight that the old guard keeps having.”

In other words, for all the riches that men such as Rooney, the late Lamar Hunt and others were able to get from their association with the NFL, staying in the game has become costly.

- Jason Cole is a national NFL writer for Yahoo! Sports. Send Jason a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.