Management's task monumental

By Bob Smizik
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Monday, September 29, 2008

It's a good thing the Pirates have "the single-best management team in all of baseball." They're going to need it. Never in their 16-year streak of losing has the outlook for an upcoming season been so bleak. Not even when the Pirates lost 100 games in 2001 was the immediate future so depressing.


Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Maholm throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2008, in Milwaukee.

The Pirates closed out their season yesterday with a 6-1 win against the San Diego Padres to give them a 67-95 record. But that's not the real story. The real story is this: Since the trade of Xavier Nady July 27, which was closely followed by the Jason Bay trade, the Pirates won 19 of their final 60 games. Over the course of a season, that translates into 111 losses.

That's what the Pirates and their fans have to look forward to in 2009.
As bad as 2001 was, it offered more hope at the end of the season. That team finished poorly, but not as badly as this one -- winning 22 of its final 60. What's more, the best players hadn't been traded out from under that team.

The 2001 team had established All-Star caliber players such as Brian Giles and Jason Kendall returning for 2002. It had one of the best young power hitters in the game in Aramis Ramirez. It had an outstanding young defensive shortstop in Jack Wilson. That team had something to build on -- although the Pirates were not able to do so.

What do these Pirates have to build upon?

No question that Nate McLouth, Ryan Doumit and Paul Maholm had very good seasons. But one season, as followers of the Pirates well know -- see Warren Morris, Ronny Paulino, Zach Duke, Tom Gorzelanny -- proves nothing. McLouth and Doumit declined appreciably in power in the second half. The belief here is both will be solid major leaguers. Whether they are middle-of-the-lineup bats, as Giles and Ramirez were, remains to be seen. The same for Maholm. He has the look of a quality major league pitcher, but not necessarily one who belongs at the top of the rotation.

The 2009 Pirates also will have Adam LaRoche, a first baseman with potential power but one who, because he'll be a year from free agency, will be actively shopped after midseason.

And that's another reason to have no hope for this franchise.

Pittsburgh Pirates' Adam LaRoche follows through on a fifth inning grand slam off Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Chad Billingsley in a baseball game in Pittsburgh Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2008. Catching is Dodgers' Russell Martin.

This column has for some time defended the Pirates' low payroll with the following reasoning: It was impossible to have a high payroll until there were players on board worthy of high salaries.

When general manager Neal Huntington traded Nady, who had one more season of arbitration, and Bay, who had one more year on his contract, that theory blew up. With a chance to show the fan base they were willing to go beyond a $50 million ceiling, the Pirates blinked. Trading Nady, a client of Scott Boras and not likely to re-sign in 2010, was understandable. Trading Bay was not.

Why should anyone believe the Pirates will do anything different when Doumit and McLouth approach free agency, which will be after the 2011 season? By that time, Doumit will be 30 and McLouth 29. If the Pirates felt they needed to get younger talent for Nady and Bay, both 29 at the time of their trades, why wouldn't they feel the same about McLouth and Doumit?

Yes, much can change between now and then. But the Pirates have done little to indicate the franchise will compete differently.

When Bob Nutting -- the man who called Huntington and team president Frank Coonelly "the single-best management team in all of baseball" -- was announced as the Pirates' principal owner in January 2007, he was asked about raising payroll to keep key players. He said, "I'm not going to commit to a number and I'm not going to commit to individual players. That's not prudent."

In other words: he ducked the question. But it was answered some 19 months later when Nady and Bay were traded.

Will Nutting ever commit to keep a key player who commands an eight-figure salary, which a team must have to compete?

Huntington is talking about securing a power hitter, a starting pitcher and a right-handed reliever in free agency. Good luck.

Since the Pirates have said they won't be in the bidding for high-end free agency, that just about eliminates any hope of getting a legitimate power bat. There will be middle-of-the-rotation starters and right-handed relievers available. Whether the Pirates can compete in the bidding or whether the players will want to be a part of a team looking at its 17th consecutive losing season remains to be determined.

Huntington and Coonelly are not the best management team in all of baseball but they have shown promise. Their problem is this: The job in front of them is monumental and is many years away from being corrected.

Bob Smizik can be reached at bsmizik@post-gazette.com. More articles by this author
First published on September 29, 2008 at 12:00 am

NHL 2008-09: For the Penguins -- life after a run at the cup

Two victories stood between the Penguins and NHL Nirvana in June. One-hundred-and-twenty minutes of winning hockey. History tells us that may be as close as they get for awhile unless they can defy history and do what only one Stanley Cup loser has done in 40 years -- return to the final and win.

By Dave Molinari
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/
Sunday, September 28, 2008


Peter Diana/Post-Gazette photo illustration

Penguins Sidney Crosby, center, Marc-Andre Fleury, left, and Evgeni Malkin, right.


Don't get the wrong idea.

History doesn't completely rule out the possibility of the Penguins winning the Stanley Cup next spring.

It just comes awfully close.

Oh, the Penguins can be encouraged to learn that there is, in fact, precedent for a team winning the championship a year after losing in the Cup final. Especially if they don't notice that it's only happened once since the NHL expanded from six to 12 teams in 1967.

The Edmonton Oilers did it in 1984, beating the New York Islanders in five games in the championship round after being swept by the same opponent a year earlier.

So when the Penguins, who lost the 2008 final to Detroit in six games, open the 2008-09 season with a pair of games against Ottawa in Stockholm, Sweden next weekend, they will begin trying to fight their way into one of pro hockey's most exclusive clubs.

They've been compared to the Oilers of the early- and mid-1980s frequently during the past few winters -- it's hard to miss the parallels between a team built around the likes of Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier and Grant Fuhr and one with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Marc-Andre Fleury in its nucleus -- and now will try to claim a space in the record book where only the Oilers' signature has been scrawled.

That seems an awful lot to ask of any club, but Ed Johnston, who was the Penguins' general manager when the Oilers were dominating the NHL, believes these Penguins could pull it off.

"We have a lot of similarities here," said Johnston, now a senior adviser with the Penguins. "You look at the youth and talent we have, with Crosby and Malkin and [Jordan] Staal, and our young [defense].

"We've got the guy in nets, almost like Fuhr. If you're making a comparison, I think that's a pretty good comparison."

The short-term effect

When Edmonton went from second place to league champion in 12 months, Ronald Reagan was running for his second term as president.

"Hello," by Lionel Richie was the No. 1 song on the Billboard charts.

"The Natural," starring Robert Redford, was filling theaters across the country.

A promising center named Mario Lemieux was three weeks away from being the No. 1 choice in the NHL draft.

Sidney Crosby was more than three years from being born.

The Penguins can't deny those realities, but aren't fixating on them, either.

"I don't [care] about it," center Max Talbot said, "because I know we can win."

Crosby is no less optimistic, as is his nature, but offered a more measured response when asked about the fate that have befallen most Cup runners-up, and how to avoid it.

"I haven't played the next year after going to the Stanley Cup final yet, so I wouldn't be able to tell you," he said, smiling.

Talbot theorized that some second-place finishers' problems the following season stem, at least in part, from the aftershocks of a go-for-broke approach that made reaching the final possible.

"Some teams would make [short-term personnel moves], sacrifice a couple of young guys to get some better players, then the next year, lose those guys," Talbot said.

The Penguins, it should be noted, made such a deal in February, sending Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen, Angelo Esposito and a first-round draft choice to Atlanta for Marian Hossa.

The long march

While it's difficult to deal with losing in the final, whatever the reason, runners-up tend to fare considerably worse in the season that follows.

Since 1996, when Colorado swept Florida in the championship series, only one Cup loser -- the 1999-2000 Dallas Stars -- managed to win a single playoff series the following year. Four of the 11 didn't even qualify for the playoffs.

"I think they think it's going to be a little easier the following year," Johnston said. "That comes from leadership in your dressing room."

Penguins defenseman Sergei Gonchar played on one of those teams, the 1998 Washington Capitals. They went from losing to Detroit in the final to a 31-45-6 record the following season.

"From my experience ... it's really hard to keep your focus," Gonchar said. "It seems like you're pretty much playing or working out for two years.

"Sometimes, you can lose your focus. It seems like there is so much hockey, so much travel."

And that's without a trip across the Atlantic, like the one the Penguins began last evening, when they left for Sweden.

Going to Stockholm figures to create a unique set of problems for the Penguins, but even a standard-issue schedule can grind down a club coming off a long season and short summer.

Players who go to the Cup final have less time to rest and train, and that can lead to fatigue -- physical and/or mental -- the following season. Even if a player feels fresh and recharged in early autumn, he can start to wear down in February or March.

"It's hard," said right winger Petr Sykora, a veteran of three Cup finals. "You don't get your rest in the summer, you don't get the amount of time you need to prepare your body for the next season. ... There are going to be times in the season when you go through stretches where you're not used to being in that kind of situation."

The challenge of winning a Cup 12 months after losing in the final has been further complicated in recent years by liberalized free agency. That also explains why no champion has repeated since Detroit in 1997 and 1998.

"Obviously, there's a lot of player movement now," defenseman Brooks Orpik said. "When you have [successful] teams, guys are targeted by other teams and it's tough to keep guys together."

The Penguins were able to re-sign Orpik during the off-season, but are trying to compensate for the loss of key contributors like Hossa and Ryan Malone. At the same time, many of the clubs with which they compete have upgraded their personnel.

"A lot of teams now have the opportunity to improve over the course of the summer," Johnston said. "They can fill one or two spots, and jump up and bite teams. You can get a pretty good hockey team pretty quick."

Head games

Players' reactions to learning of the struggles Cup runners-up had the next season ranged from mild amusement to genuine surprise to professional curiosity.

Far more uniform was their insistence that the Penguins are a viable threat to end the second-place slump.

"I don't [care] about it," Talbot said, "because I know we can win."

Few, if any, seem seriously concerned about having their energy reserves depleted over the course of the season.

"We have a young group of guys who recover quickly," Gonchar said.

Having so many youthful players in key roles and being, in general, well-conditioned should work in their favor. But even if their bodies hold up, keeping a sharp psychological edge during the dog days of winter might be tough.

At some point, all of the hockey they've played over 16 months or so could dissolve into a blur and steal some of the focus needed to be successful, night-in and night-out.

"I don't think that physically, it will be a test," Crosby said. "But mentally, it will be a test, for sure."

Not necessarily one they are doomed to fail. Especially if they take their cue from teammates like Crosby, whose passion for his work might be his most underrated asset.

"I know Sid won't be sick of hockey at any point in the year," Orpik said, laughing. "I don't know about other guys."

He has a point, but he also seems confident the relaxed atmosphere in the Penguins' locker room, a carryover from last season, could have tangible benefits as the season moves along.

"Something that helps our team is how loose we are," Orpik said. "It's a fun group to be around. When you hit those stretches in the middle of the season where you're kind of plugging away, we have a group that kind of picks you up and pushes you through with the energy we have in here."

They'll need that, if they're to be a factor in the 2009 playoffs. They'll need to find satisfactory replacements for guys like Hossa, Malone, Jarkko Ruutu and Georges Laraque, too. To stay healthy. To be lucky.

"We know it's not going to be easy," general manager Ray Shero said. "We've talked about that, and the players understand that, too. We've got to make the playoffs, become a competitive team and find our identity.

"We go through that every year. Hopefully, we'll be the team that breaks that streak."

Dave Molinari can be reached at DWMolinari@Yahoo.com.
First published on September 28, 2008 at 12:00 am

Now that he's turned 21, can Crosby still be 'Sid the Kid'?

By Robert Dvorchak
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/
Sunday, September 28, 2008


Peter Diana

Sidney Crosby jokes with season ticket holder David Disney after Crosby hand-delivered his tickets earlier this month. Mr. Disney has been a season ticket holder since 1967.

Sidney Crosby isn't the first driver confounded by the traffic tangles in and around Pittsburgh, but among all of the Penguins, he admittedly has the most trouble getting anywhere and is most apt to get lost.

"I'm way better now than I used to be, but that reputation has kind of followed me. My dad's pretty bad at directions, and I guess I got it from him," he chuckled. "Even when I follow people, they make a habit to follow the signs and landmarks. I get so focused, I don't pay attention."

His internal compass when it comes to hockey is a different story. Recently turned 21 and entering his fourth NHL season, Captain Crosby knows exactly where he wants to go and what it takes to get there. His teammates and the Penguins Nation, driven by dreams of a Stanley Cup, are on board for a hockey version of follow the leader.

The destination, of course, is a return trip to the Cup finals. The magical climb -- complete with frenzied sellouts and outdoor TV screens -- ended with a thud when the Penguins fell in six games to the Detroit Red Wings.

"We want to get back there, but every other team wants to get there too," Crosby said before the Penguins headed to Sweden to open the new season on the international stage. "Getting as far as we did and coming up short, it definitely gives us an even better goal for this year."

But no season, especially in the era of salary caps and free agency, picks up where it left off. The Penguins may be reigning champions of the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference, but the journey starts as fresh as a sheet of ice manicured by the Great Zamboni in the Sky. Every team will have the same record when the Penguins open the season with two games next weekend against the Ottawa Senators in Stockholm.

"That's the great thing about sports. You have to be able to come back, year after year, and prove yourself as a team. I think that's something we're all well aware of," he said.

And as far as who fills the role of bellwether, coach Michel Therrien pointed to the star player with the exemplary work ethic who comports himself well on and off the ice.

"When you're talking about leaders on our club, there's no doubt you're looking at our captain," the coach said.

Record breaker

If year four of the Sidney Crosby Era is anything like the first three, something historic awaits.

His rookie year witnessed the passing of the torch. Although the team struggled, and the NHL rookie of the year award went to Washington's Alex Ovechkin, an 18-year-old prodigy broke the franchise scoring record for rookies set by Mario Lemieux, the owner/captain/landlord who retired during the season because of health concerns.

In 2006-07, Crosby led the Penguins back into the playoffs after a long absence, although the Penguins were bounced in the first round by Ottawa. Along the way, Crosby became the youngest person to win a scoring title and the youngest player voted to a starting spot on the All-Star team. He won the Hart Trophy as the league MVP, the Art Ross Trophy as scoring leader and the Lester Pearson Trophy as outstanding player as voted by his peers, becoming only the seventh player in NHL history to win those three trophies in one year. He also played the last month of the season with a broken foot.

Last season, with Crosby serving as the youngest captain in NHL history, the breakout continued despite a high ankle sprain that forced him to miss 28 games. After winning their division, the Penguins won playoff rounds against Ottawa and Jaromir Jagr's New York Rangers, then claimed the Eastern Conference title with a series win over the Philadelphia Flyers, the first time they had ever beaten the Flyers in a playoff series. The run ended with the loss to the Red Wings, but Crosby had 27 playoff points, the same total as playoff MVP Henrik Zetterberg.

All of which leads up to a new season and the need for a new nickname. Sid The Kid, as he was known inside and outside the organization, turned 21 on Aug. 7. El Sid, anyone?

A 21st birthday is a milestone, and a big bash was organized in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, by Troy Crosby, Sidney's dad. Mario Lemieux came up. Penguins co-owner Ron Burkle flew in from Europe. Aunts and uncles and other members of the extended family joined in.

"It was really special," said Trina Crosby, the celebrant's mom. "Just because of the way life is, it's difficult for everybody to get together at once. This was a way to slow everything down for a couple of days. It was a wonderful way to bring everybody together."

The morning after the party, Crosby got up early, worked out for two hours and played 18 holes of golf. He got back in time before his guests gathered around the table for brunch.

Because of his hockey success, Crosby has become a cottage industry in the endorsement arena. His major deals -- worth multiple millions in total -- are with Gatorade, Reebok and Tim Hortons, the Canadian-based coffee and doughnut chain. (Tim Horton, by the way, began his pro career with the AHL Pittsburgh Hornets and later played for the Penguins, but the closest franchise of his doughnut empire is in Ohio.)

A number of other businesses have approached Crosby about being a pitchman, including some offers well into six figures, but he imposes his own limits on endorsements.

"He turns down offers every week," said Dee Rizzo, the Pittsburgh-based agent for CAA Hockey, which represents Crosby. "He's here to play hockey. He's here to win the Stanley Cup."

He's everywhere

Still, Crosby's name and image turn up in all kinds of places.

He was recently named a recipient of the Order of Nova Scotia, which is presented for excellence and achievement in the name of the Crown as the highest civic honor of his home province. He is entitled to place the letters O.N.S. after his name.

In his adopted home town, the handles of Crosby's hockey sticks were used in the ceremonial breaking of ground for the Penguins new arena, slated to open in two years. He is the two-time winner of the Dapper Dan Sportsman of the Year, and the only other Pittsburgh sports figure to win it in consecutive years was the late Pirates manager Danny Murtaugh. The newest penguin at the National Aviary on the North Side is named Sidney. His picture has graced the cover of magazines from Gentleman's Quarterly to Men's Fitness.

He is the most interviewed person in hockey, unflinchingly meeting with the media after morning skates and after games. This routine of being available twice a day continued in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Staying balanced

How is it possible that a young man can handle all this? Well, he gave his first newspaper interview when he was 7, and he accepts being in the spotlight the way he accepts having to lace up his skates before taking the ice.

"It just didn't happen after he turned 18," said his mother. "He got a lot of attention at a very early age. He's grown used to it. I think he's been able to prioritize. He's always been under the microscope. His main focus is to play hockey, but he has a clear idea of who he is off the ice too. It's a balance. He was able to find that at a young age.

"To me, I just see him as my son," she added. "I could sit down with any other mother who has a 21-year-old son and we could be singing the same song. But he has this other side. He loves challenges. There isn't anything he could do that would surprise me. He's a very strong leader, not a rah-rah cheerleader type, but he's a strong individual."

There is also a bond that has grown stronger between the Crosby family and Sidney's adopted home town.

"Sidney has a deep respect for the game, and he feels privileged to be able to play it for a living. We feel privileged because he's in such a great place," Mrs. Crosby said. "When he went there, he was a boy. The city kind of adopted him. He is one of their own.

"Pittsburgh people work hard, and they can appreciate someone who works hard for them. It's all a little overwhelming when there's 17,000 people cheering inside that arena. But not only do they appreciate his hockey skills, they appreciate what he represents as an individual. That means a lot to a parent."

So what's next for top player in hockey, as selected by The Hockey News?

"Hopefully, the Stanley Cup," said Crosby, who is one goal shy of having 100 in his career and six points away from reaching 300 points. "But I think if you asked every player in the league, they're saying the same thing. That's always been on my mind since I started playing. It doesn't change. It's what you work for."

But there may be just a little extra incentive from the experience of having come so close last season before watching another team celebrate with hockey's holy grail.

"It's a terrible feeling," Crosby said.

Does that make him want it more?

"Yeah, I think it does. I don't think I ever questioned how much I wanted it. But I want to get back there," Crosby said. "You want the feeling of winning, but it's almost like you don't ever want that feeling of losing again. I don't know which is stronger. "

Robert Dvorchak can be reached at bdvorchak@post-gazette.com
First published on September 28, 2008 at 12:00 am

Vernon, former Pirate player, coach, dead at 90

By The Associated Press
Thursday, September 25, 2008

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Mickey Vernon, a two-time American League batting champion with the Washington Senators and seven-time All-Star first baseman during a four-decade career, has died. He was 90.


American League All-Stars: Al Rosen, Mickey Vernon, Mickey Mantle circa 1954

Vernon died Wednesday at Riddle Memorial Hospital in Media, a hospital spokeswoman told The Associated Press. He had suffered a stroke last week, said Jim Vankoski, Vernon's friend of 25 years.

Vernon played 20 major league seasons (1939-43 and 1946-60) with Washington, the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, Milwaukee Braves and Pittsburgh Pirates. He won the AL batting title in 1946 and 1953 and was career .286 hitter. He played 2,409 games, finishing with 2,495 hits, including 490 doubles and 120 triples and 1,311 RBIs.

He also was the first manager of the Senators' second incarnation in the 1960s and had career record of 135-227 as a manager.

In August, Vernon was among 10 players whose careers started before 1943 named by the Veterans Comm ittee for consideration for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. The results are to be announced Dec. 8.

Vernon made his playing debut with the Senators midseason 1939, and the 21-year-old left-handed first-baseman hit .267 in 79 at-bats. He spent most of the next season in Jersey City and returned to Washington in 1941, when he began establishing himself as one of the league's solid first basemen.

He missed the 1944 and 1945 seasons due to military service in the Navy during World War II.

When Vernon returned to baseball in 1946, he had arguably his finest season, winning his first American League batting title with a .353 average. He had a career-high 207 hits in 587 at-bats and finished with 51 doubles, eight triples, eight home runs and 85 RBIs.

He won his second batting title in 1953, batting .337 and edging Cleveland first baseman Al Rosen by .001 for the title. Vernon had 205 hits in 608 at-bats, including 43 doubles, 11 triples, 15 homers and a career-high 115 RBIs.

He closed out his career with the 1960 World Series champion Pirates, spending most of the season as a coach before being activated late in the season and becoming one of a few players to compete in four decades.

Vernon was named manager of the expansion Senators in 1961 and held the position until 1963. He went on to coach with the Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees. He also managed at the Triple-A and Double-A levels.

Born April 22, 1918, in Marcus Hook, Pa., James Barton "Mickey" Vernon attended Villanova University. He returned to area after retiring from baseball and made his home there until his death.

His hometown of Marcus Hook dedicated a life-size statue of Vernon in September 2003 on the very sandlot fields he played as a child, one block from his former home.

Vernon is survived by his daughter, Gay.

Dislocated shoulder sidelines Gonchar

By Rob Rossi
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/
Thursday, September 25, 2008


Penguins' Sergei Gonchar will be sidelined for an unknown length of time due to a shoulder separation suffered last week in an exhibition game.

Chaz Palla/Tribune-Review file

The Penguins won't have their "Sarge" running the show for a while.

Top defenseman Sergei Gonchar is out indefinitely with a left shoulder dislocation -- the result of a hit into the boards by Tampa Bay forward David Koci midway through the opening period of an exhibition game Saturday at Mellon Arena.

General manager Ray Shero said Wednesday "indefinite is really the way to put it, because we don't know."

"We won't know more maybe until next week, when he has a chance to see some other doctors, get some other opinions, other avenues he can take for getting better," Shero said prior to the Penguins' final home exhibition game against Toronto. "Right now, he's starting his rehab."

Gonchar has yet to undergo a Magnetic Resonance Imaging examination, Shero said. He added that surgery "is an option" and said the organization would support Gonchar if he sought that option.

Gonchar, 34, was not available for comment.

J.P. Barry, who represents Gonchar, said via a text message he had "no idea yet" how much time Gonchar might miss.

"We are still getting all the advice we need on the best course of action," Barry wrote.

The loss of Gonchar, the NHL's second-highest scoring defenseman with 431 points since 2000, is a jarring blow to the Penguins -- especially considering the current status of defenseman Ryan Whitney.

An August surgery to correct a left-foot deformity will keep Whitney out until at least December. Gonchar (132) and Whitney (99) have combined to account for 71 percent of the Penguins' defensive scoring the past two seasons.

Gonchar has worked the point on the Penguins' top power-play unit since his arrival for the 2005-06 season. He has scored 26 goals and recorded 106 assists for an advantage attack that finished no lower than sixth over that span.

Assistant coach Mike Yeo, who runs the club's power play, said Sunday that Whitney "would have been the obvious replacement for Gonchar" on that unit. Whitney has scored 20 goals and recorded 53 assists on the power play the past three seasons.

The Penguins placed center Evgeni Malkin on the power-play point last night, with rookie defenseman Alex Goligoski working the off-point that Malkin occupied late last season.

Goligoski, a dominant offensive player over three seasons at the University of Minnesota (98 points in 117 games), had a standout first professional season last year. He scored 10 goals and recorded 38 points in 70 regular-season games with AHL affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton -- adding four goals and 28 points in 23 Calder Cup playoff contests.

Coach Michel Therrien said yesterday the injuries to Gonchar and Whitney "provided opportunities for young players to prove they belong in the NHL." He was specifically referring to Goligoski and right-handed shooting defenseman Kris Letang, who scored six goals and recorded 17 points over 63 games with the Penguins last season.

Letang's performance forced veteran Darryl Sydor to watch most of the Stanley Cup playoffs as a healthy scratch. However, Sydor replaced Letang after Game 2 of the Stanley Cup final.

Goligoski, 23, and Letang, 21, were by far the youngest defensemen competing in training camp for a spot among the Penguins' top six. They are joined by veterans Brooks Orpik, 27, Rob Scuderi, 29, Hal Gill, 33, and Sydor, 36.

Orpik and Gonchar were considered the club's top defensive pairing. Gonchar paced the club with a per-game average ice time of 25 minutes and 54 seconds last season.

Shero termed playing without Gonchar and Whitney -- third in average ice time last season at 22:26 -- "a challenge," but added "it's no different than last year playing without your top goaltender and top player."

Center Sidney Crosby and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury each missed significant time last season due to ankle sprains. The Penguins still won the Atlantic Division -- their first division title since 1998.

"As I've said about this team, it's been very resilient," Shero said. "We do have some younger players that certainly deserve the opportunity to step up and play, and we do have some veterans that can step up as well.

"Three weeks ago we we're happy with our depth on defense, and right now I'm happy we have that."


Rob Rossi can be reached at rrossi@tribweb.com or 412-380-5635.

There's no 'O' in defense

The Penguins will start the season without defensemen Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney, who combined for 71 percent of the points provided from that position the past two seasons. A look at the offensive production of the club's current defensemen over that span:

PLAYER GOALS ASSISTS POINTS

Sergei Gonchar- 25 107 132
Ryan Whitney- 26 73 99
*Hal Gill- 9 35 44
#Darryl Sydor- 6 28 34
Kris Letang- 8 11 19
Brooks Orpik- 1 16 17
Rob Scuderi- 1 15 16
Mark Eaton- 0 6 6
^Alex Goligoski- 0 2 2
Danny Richmond- 0 2 2

*8 goals, 32 assists, 40 points with Toronto (2006-2008)

#5 goals, 16 assists, 21 points with Dallas (2006-07)

^Appeared in 3 games (2007-08); would be a rookie this season

Source: NHL, Pittsburgh Penguins

Draft-day error? We'll know soon

By Gene Collier
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/
Thursday, September 25, 2008


Peter Diana / Post-Gazette

Coaches are doing everything they can to prepare Rashard Mendenhall for what awaits him Monday night including, ahem, the psychological aspects of playing against the Ravens.

Too good to pass up -- that was Rashard Mendenhall in April, in that first round of the NFL draft.

Maybe not too good to have passed up -- that was Rashard Mendenhall in August, when he was littering preseason lawns with fumbled footballs.

Not too good at all -- that has been Rashard Mendenhall in September, when he has managed less than 3 yards per carry and compelled no one to clamor for his presence on a troubled Steelers offense.

Not too good to pass to -- that was Rashard Mendenhall Sunday in Philadelphia, where he dropped the only ball thrown his way.

And finally, just plain not -- that's what has defined Rashard Mendenhall's attendance in the running game the past two weeks.

"He's not Willie Parker," Ben Roethlisberger noted as the Steelers began the intense portion of their preparations for the looming Monday nighter against Baltimore. "But he doesn't need to be a Willie Parker, he just needs to be the best Rashard Mendenhall he can be."

You know, like in April, when he was too good to pass up. Which introduces a wicked little irony, does it not?

Here's a running back with a CliffsNotes resume who somehow becomes the first pick of a club with serious offensive line issues, a club that ignored that particular shrieking need for the first three rounds on draft day, swooning at the likes of Rashard Mendenhall and Limas Sweed, a club that, with an injured Parker, now turns to Mendenhall to re-enable an offense that hasn't scored a touchdown in nine quarters.

So now, No. 34 floats through a surreal week of practice at the far end of which he will take the field for his first pro start, in prime time, in that goofy yella throwback helmet, and what does he see in front of him? A club with serious offensive line issues, due in some part to its enchantment with him.

"I'm not concerned about it," Mendenhall was saying yesterday. "I just want to take it all in stride and come in well-prepared. I'm going to try to keep everything as normal as I can this week."

Yeah, good luck with that.

On a team averaging worse than one fallen starter per week so far, Mendenhall is in a real difficult spot. Even with the All-Pro Parker at its disposal, the Steelers have converted exactly five of their past 25 third-down opportunities. With its front line ripped to tatters Sunday in Philadelphia and its quarterback found mostly under 600 pounds of Eagles defensive personnel, the chance that suddenly Mendenhall can set up makeable third downs seems dubious.

"It's not gonna be easy; they have the No. 1 defense in the league," right tackle Willie Colon said of Rashard vs. the Ravens. "For the most part, I think he'll be able to handle it. He's a mature kid. He's a downhill kid. He likes the contact. He'll be ready. It's just a matter of making him aware of what he needs to be aware of."

Roethlisberger spent a few minutes with Mendenhall after practice yesterday, as did head coach Mike Tomlin, as did running backs coach Kirby Wilson. Presumably, they were not making him aware of how much they'd have liked to have had Jeff Otah, the Pitt offensive tackle who has started his first three games with Carolina, which swiped him four picks in front of the Steelers April 26. Nor were they expressing any second thoughts about passing up left tackle Duane Brown, who has started both games for the Houston Texans.

It's true the Steelers weren't the only club that desperately needed offensive line help that day. Seven of the first 21 players taken were blockers. It's also true the Steelers had no business waiting until the fourth round to attempt to get help up front. Tony Hills of Texas, your fourth-round pick, hasn't given much indication that help is even on the way.

Roethlisberger spent part of yesterday listing the ways the Steelers can help Mendenhall operate in a storm of inexperience and ragin' Ravens pressure. He mentioned that fullback Carey Davis will do "a lot of helpin'," and the offense lined Sean McHugh up in front of Mendenhall for a few plays in practice yesterday as well. Roethlisberger didn't mention who, if anybody, will help No. 7.

"It wasn't anything they did," Hines Ward kept insisting about the Eagles' onslaught Sunday. "It was a communications breakdown. Ben has to read hot routes, and the receivers have to break hot."

No one seemed to want to mention what Mendenhall's gotta do. He's gotta get 25 carries. He's gotta get 100 yards. Should he fail, even for reasons well beyond his control, Tuesday will bring a lot of discussion on the matter of who was and who wasn't too good to pass up.

First published on September 25, 2008 at 12:00 am

Alvarez after signing: 'I will work my hardest'

Pirates finally sign top pick after MLB, union settle grievance

By Dejan Kovacevic and Colin Dunlap
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/
Thursday, September 25, 2008


David Arrigo/Pittsburgh Pirates

Pedro Alvarez, left, is congratulated by Pirates director of scouting Greg Smith after signing his contract at 6:24 p.m. yesterday at PNC Park.

MILWAUKEE -- Finally, after more than three months of haggling, backtracking, posturing and even litigating on a national stage, the Pirates have signed Pedro Alvarez, their first-round draft pick.

This time in indelible ink.

Alvarez and his New York-based family flew to Pittsburgh as the former Vanderbilt University standout third baseman passed his physical and, at 6:24 p.m. yesterday, put pen to paper on a four-year, $6,355,000 contract. Earlier in the day, a related grievance filed by the Major League Baseball Players Association against commissioner Bud Selig's office was settled amicably.

All of that cleared the way for Alvarez to begin his professional career this weekend in the rookie-level Florida Instructional League.

"I'm so happy this day has come," Alvarez said in a conference call with reporters from PNC Park last night. "I just want to play baseball."

A conference call was chosen rather than the standard news conference, the Pirates explained, because the team is finishing its season on the road.

Once Alvarez does get about the business of facing fastballs instead of legal briefings, as he seemed to grasp, he surely will have many fences to mend, with the Pirates and the many baseball fans who voiced their displeasure during his highly publicized absence.

"I just want the fans of Pittsburgh to judge me as the professional player that I am now," Alvarez replied to a question on that subject. "I will work my hardest to be the best player I can be, to be a leader on and off the field in the community. It's a big day for me and my family. When I was a little kid, we dreamed of this. And the fact that it's a reality now ... all I can say is, starting today, I will be the best player I can be."

Alvarez, 21, is the son of Pedro Alvarez Sr., a livery cab driver in the heavily-Dominican Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. His mother, Luz, and sister, Yolayna, also joined him at the signing.

"This is a hard, blue-collar community just like where I grew up, and my family instilled that work ethic in me," Alvarez said. "That's what's going to happen here: I'll work my hardest and be the best I can be."

Just before or after MLB's midnight Aug. 15 signing deadline for draft picks, Alvarez verbally agreed to a $6 million minor league contract. Two days later, Alvarez's agent, Scott Boras, informed the Pirates that he considered the agreement against MLB rules because the Pirates did not receive the blessing of the union.

Boras sought a fresh negotiation that same day, and the Pirates emphatically declined, leading -- indirectly or not -- to the players' union filing a grievance Aug. 27 against baseball commissioner Bud Selig's office that threatened to nullify Alvarez's contract and possibly others.

Pirates president Frank Coonelly and Boras publicly sniped at each other at times, but Alvarez kept quiet. His most recent public speaking before yesterday came June 5, the day he was the No. 2 pick in the draft, and even his whereabouts were mostly unknown to all but his family, Boras and a few friends until the past two weeks.


David Arrigo/Pittsburgh Pirates

Pedro Alvarez embracing his father after signing his contract yesterday at PNC Park.

That prompted some critics to charge that Alvarez was being controlled by Boras, one of the most successful and influential agents in baseball history, but Alvarez denied that yesterday.

"Throughout this whole process, I, myself, wanted a fair trial, and I wanted everything to play itself out," Alvarez said. "I thought for myself and made decisions for myself."

The grievance settlement added two elements of clarification to the language in MLB's labor pact: One, Selig's office no longer will be allowed to unilaterally grant extensions of the signing deadline. Two, an arbitrator will have the authority to void any agreement struck afterward. Each area had been disputed.

They also agreed that Alvarez could sign a new contract well beyond the original deadline and that Kansas City first baseman Eric Hosmer, another draft pick and Boras client brought into the matter against the wishes of the Royals, the player and the agent, could return to action. MLB had ordered Hosmer to stop playing pending a resolution of the grievance.

"From the beginning, our primary concern was allowing Mr. Alvarez and Mr. Hosmer to begin their professional careers as quickly as possible, and this settlement accomplishes that goal," MLB executive vice president of labor relations Rob Manfred said. "We fully support and welcome the changes to the manner in which the deadline will be administered."

"The agreement fully satisfies the union's objective, made clear from the outset, which was to defend the integrity of its collectively bargained agreements," union general counsel Mike Weiner said.

The push to get Pirates and Boras to reach a settlement, it became clear yesterday, came from MLB and the union from opposite sides. That began, coincidence or not, after Selig testified Sept. 10 in the only hearing for the grievance, and it even included assisting in the negotiation of financial terms this past weekend.

Agreement was reached early Sunday night mostly by changing the terms of the contract from minor league to major league. With that compromise, the Alvarez side could argue that Alvarez will make more money if he reaches Pittsburgh quickly -- baseball evaluators feel he could do so within a year or two -- while the Pirates could argue that, because the signing bonus was staggered over four years rather than two, Alvarez will receive less guaranteed money in the revised deal because of interest and inflation.

"It wasn't easy," Coonelly said.

Some rancor from the dispute lasted even beyond the signing: Coonelly mentioned in the conference call, unsolicited, that he felt the new deal was "comparable in value" to the original. Boras, who had not been expected to participate in the call, later entered and called the new deal "a favorable change for Pedro Alvarez ... much different than the one previously offered."

Boras' stance has been that the Pirates were granted a special favor by MLB, where Coonelly worked for a decade, in receiving a deadline extension. He charged MLB and the team with orchestrating events Aug. 15 so that the Royals' agreement with Hosmer would be approved after the Pirates', even though, by all accounts, the Royals had their agreement before midnight. MLB kept the Royals on hold on the phone, Boras maintained, while the Pirates talked to Alvarez well past midnight, then approved the Royals' deal so that someone else would appear to come later.

Thus, Boras argued, his client felt extra pressure in talking to the Pirates after midnight.

Coonelly rejected that scenario in a separate call last night.

"Completely untrue," Coonelly said. "We were not given any advance notice by the commissioner's office that any deadline extensions would be granted. In fact, earlier that day, we were told the opposite."


David Arrigo/Pittsburgh Pirates

Pedro Alvarez greets children during season ticket holders field day event.

Coonelly and Boras never were in the same room yesterday, incidentally. Coonelly was on business in Bradenton, and Boras with Alvarez at PNC Park.

Alvarez made clear that he supported Boras' representation.

"We fought for a fair negotiation, and I believe we got that," he said. "I am completely satisfied with what was going on throughout the whole process. I am a big believer in faith, and I held onto my faith. I knew everything would work out for the best."

Once financial terms were reached Sunday, Alvarez and his family traveled to Pittsburgh Tuesday, then were joined by Boras yesterday. They stayed Downtown and spent much of yesterday at PNC, including Alvarez greeting some season-ticket holders at a private function.

Alvarez's next step will be a return to baseball: Idle since Vanderbilt's season ended in June, he had been training with his former college teammates in Nashville, Tenn., and he will return there today to collect his belongings. From there, he will fly to Bradenton, Fla., home of the Pirates' spring facility and begin playing as soon as Saturday. The Florida season runs until Oct. 17.

General manager Neal Huntington did not rule out winter baseball, as well, but said it would be "unfair" to the prospects already assigned to the two elite leagues -- in Arizona and Hawaii -- to remove them from already-full rosters for Alvarez. The Pirates had dangled a winter assignment as a carrot for Alvarez during the long wait.

Huntington said Alvarez's path to the majors will be dictated by performance and would not speculate on which level would be his starting point. Many observers feel he will be with Class AA Altoona at least by the end of 2009, if not sooner.

"He's going to be a strong, middle-of-the-lineup bat for us for many years," Huntington said. "I think few players have been damaged by a conservative track, and I think history is littered with players damaged with clubs rushing them. He has an advanced skill set, but his progress will determine how quickly he moves through the system."

To clear space on the 40-man roster for Alvarez, the Pirates placed injured starter Tom Gorzelanny on the 60-day disabled list.


Dejan Kovacevic can be reached at dkovacevic@post-gazette.com. Colin Dunlap can be reached at cdunlap@post-gazette.com.
First published on September 25, 2008 at 12:00 am

About the coaching: Steelers staff failed miserably vs. Eagles

By Bob Smizik
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/steelers/
Wednesday, September 24, 2008

A day removed from it, the embarrassing loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, a game in which the Steelers were badly outplayed and outcoached, looked like a mere blip on the team's near-certain ascendancy to the AFC North championship. Two days removed from it, however, the game has taken on an ominous tone. The path to the title in a division believed to be thick with sub-par opponents looks considerably more formidable.


Peter Diana / Post-Gazette

Ben Roethlisberger is sacked by the Eagles linebacker Trent Cole.

That has something to do with the injury report coach Mike Tomlin revealed at his news conference yesterday. It also has something to do with the quality of coaching coming from Tomlin and his staff, which was revealed Sunday against the Eagles.

On the injury front, it was bad enough that nose tackle Casey Hampton, one of the team's best defensive players, was pronounced out for the game against the Baltimore Ravens Monday. That was expected. What wasn't expected, and what truly does not bode well for the team, is the addition of running back Willie Parker to the list of players, which also includes defensive end Brett Keisel, that will not play against the Ravens.

The Steelers have a highly competent replacement for Hampton in Chris Hoke, a seven-year veteran who allowed little or no fallout at nose tackle in 2004 when he started the final 10 games of a 15-1 season. What is noteworthy about Hampton's absence is that two-thirds of the starting defensive line is out against an opponent that has thrived running the ball.
The Ravens have rushed 90 times in two games -- which is one more time than the Steelers have in three games -- and dominated the opposition in doing so.

The replacement for Parker, the second-leading rusher in the AFC even after being held to 20 yards by the Eagles, is rookie Rashard Mendenhall, a player of immense potential but one who has failed to gain the coaching staff's confidence, as evidenced by the fact he had no rushing attempts in the past two games.

Among players the Steelers could least afford to lose, Parker would rank in the top five. That's not just because he is so talented, but also because his replacement is so questionable. Mendenhall, whose fumbling in the exhibition season caused the coaching staff to lose confidence in him, has gained 28 yards on 10 attempts this season. He must soften a Baltimore defense that historically has been excellent and, based on their two games this season, remains very much that way.


Peter Diana / Post-Gazette

Willie Parker is gang tackled by the Eagles defense.

Not too much should be made of the Ravens' league-leading defensive statistics since they've come against the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns. But it is impressive that they've allowed only an average of 161 yards and have held quarterbacks, one of whom was Carson Palmer, to a combined passer rating of 26.6.

Although Tomlin presented the Ravens as a opponent that will be difficult to beat, there was not a hint of concern in his tone. He provided the standard Tomlin line: "We acknowledge that injuries are part of the game. The standard of expectation won't change for us. It's an opportunity for some people to step up. We expect those guys to step up and deliver for us and we know they will."

Once, those typical words from Tomlin were reassuring. But following the Philadelphia debacle and following a distinct decline in his won-loss percentage, Tomlin's certitude is no longer so calming. He's looking more mortal these days, especially after his failure to solve the Eagles' defense, one with which he and his staff should have been intimately familiar.

He accepted blame for that. "As coaches, we could have done a better job of adjusting and putting these guys in a position to be successful."

That's the real job of coaches, and Tomlin and his staff haven't been so good at it lately. After opening his NFL career with seven wins in nine games and making the Rooneys look, as they did with Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher, like geniuses in evaluating coaches, Tomlin's career has taken a backward step. He's a mediocre 5-6 since his first nine games.

It's a big game for the Steelers Monday and a big game for Tomlin. His players must rise to the challenge and so must the coaching staff.

Philadelphia presented the NFL a blueprint for victory over the Steelers.
The Ravens have their own style but would be wise to incorporate some of the tactics employed by the Eagles.

Tomlin and his staff must show they can't be outsmarted by the opposing coaches again like they were against the Eagles.

Bob Smizik can be reached at bsmizik@post-gazette.com. More articles by this author
First published on September 24, 2008 at 12:00 am

Wilson ponders separation from Bucs

By Rob Biertempfel
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/
Tuesday, September 23, 2008


The Pirates Jack Wilson tosses baseballs to the fans at PNC Park Sunday. This may be the final year for the Buccos shortstop.
Philip G. Pavely/Tribune-Review file

In the worst season of Jack Wilson's career, this may be his final week in a Pirates uniform.

It began with a calf injury that cost him six weeks of the season. Later, he missed a week with a sore shoulder. Wilson has not played shortstop since Aug. 31, when a bad-hop grounder fractured his index finger.

Any chance the Pirates had of finishing at .500 evaporated in July, when Jason Bay and Xavier Nady were traded. Wilson likely will be the next veteran out the door as management continues to reshape the roster this offseason.

"There's probably a good chance they'll want to go in another direction (at shortstop)," Wilson said. "It's been on my mind a lot. I'm preparing either way."

Some players have been swallowed up by the Pirates' 16-year run of losing, the contstant turnover among players and management and all of the empty seats at PNC Park.

Yet, Wilson refuses to crumble. He is the joie de vivre of the clubhouse, always quick with a grin. But, until now, he has never fully explained why.

"I choose to live positively," Wilson said. "I went through a lot of tragic stuff early in my life that kind of transformed me into being a positive person."

When he was between the ages of 9-18, Wilson had to deal with the sudden deaths of four cousins, all of whom were younger than 22. Also, an uncle died after a long illness.

"I didn't understand. I was a kid," Wilson said. "You ask, why them? What did they do? You question things."

Afraid of the answers, and angry when confronted with the questions, Wilson went into a shell. He admits he was "a terrible kid" in his later teen years, using sports as an escape and avoiding his family.

"Meeting my wife and finding Jesus is what turned me around," Wilson said.

By 2003, Wilson was in his third season with the Pirates. But, he said, he still was letting the ups and downs of baseball affect his family life.

Wilson's wife, Julie, comes from a devoutly Christian family. They were not thrilled by his me-first attitude, but they did not push him away. Slowly, they won him over.

Wilson was baptized before the 2004 season. It may not be a coincidence that he put up career-best stats that year and was the Pirates' All-Star rep.

Because of his sports celebrity status, Wilson sometimes is uncomfortable doing a testimony -- publicly describing how his faith changed his life -- at church gatherings.

"I'll listen to other people and think, 'Wow, I didn't have it as bad as him,' " Wilson said. "You really have to feed off knowing that every day is special. No matter what your situation is, it's not nearly as bad as someone else's."

Wilson has tried to be an example to others who have gone through childhood trauma.

"I try to really enjoy life, because it's a gift," Wilson said. "I like playing in Pittsburgh. I like the fans. I like the area where I'm raising my children. Those things are what I see when I look back at my eight years here. You can choose to be miserable and focus on the losing, focus on the negative things that happen. But that's not the way I want to live."

Sunday's home finale may have been Wilson's farewell at PNC Park. He began the day with a game of checkers against good friend Freddy Sanchez.

The crowd gave Wilson a long standing ovation when he was announced as a pinch-hitter in the fifth inning. He singled to left field, sparking even louder cheers.

"The best moment of my career," Wilson said.

If Wilson is traded this winter, it won't be because his skills have eroded. He's batting .274, although his power numbers (one home run, 18 doubles) were dragged down by his injuries.

This season, Wilson's zone rating -- the percentage of balls fielded by a player in his typical defensive zone -- is .850. His glovework has been better than that of Derek Jeter, Jose Reyes, Stephen Drew, Edgar Renteria, J.J. Hardy, Jhonny Peralta, Michael Young, Hanley Ramirez and Troy Tulowitzky.

"What Jack does on the field gets overlooked a lot," Pirates first baseman Adam LaRoche said. "I've played with (Rafael) Furcal and Renteria, and I think Jack's the best shorstop I've ever played with.

"He's got range, he's got an arm; he's just got a knack and a feel for the game. He quietly saves a lot of runs over there. If he does (go), it will be really tough to replace him -- really tough."

Rob Biertempfel can be reached at rbiertempfel@tribweb.com or 412-320-7811.

Holding it down

Most games played at shortstop for the Pirates:

Player, Years with Pirates, Games

1. Honus Wagner (1900-17) - 1,887
2. Arky Vaughn (1932-41) - 1,381
3. Dick Groat (1952, 1955-62) - 1,242
4. Jay Bell (1989-96) - 1,103
5. Jack Wilson (2001-present) - 1,054
6. Gene Alley (1963-73) - 977

Steelers exposed by Eagles' defense

By John Harris
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/
Monday, September 22, 2008


PHILADELPHIA - SEPTEMBER 21: Ben Roethlisberger #7 of the Pittsburgh Steelers is sacked by Mike Patterson #98 of the Philiadelphia Eagles during the first half on September 21, 2008 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Eagles won 15-6.(Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)

PHILADELPHIA -- Clueless confusion.

Sunday wasn't the best of times for the Steelers' moribund offense. It started early and ineffectively when Willie Parker rushed for minus-1 yards each time on three of his first four carries. It ended painfully late with a harried Ben Roethlisberger departing after hurting his throwing hand and leaving backup Byron Leftwich to clean up what was left of a 15-6 thrashing at the capable hands of the Philadelphia Eagles at raucous Lincoln Financial Field.

It was the Steelers first loss of the season, and it was as ugly as the final score was deceptively close.

Steelers' players, particularly Roethlisberger and members of his offensive line, wore the same deer-in-the-headlights expression that was last seen two years ago when Baltimore Ravens linebacker Bart Scott planted Roethlisberger in the turf following a vicious sack.

Not since the 2006 season have the Steelers appeared so thoroughly incapable of preventing the other team from pounding their quarterback or producing anything remotely resembling a legitimate NFL offense.

Indeed, it was the worst of times for the Steelers offense.

Nine sacks, only 180 total yards, no touchdowns and a lot of tough talk in the locker room about this maybe being the best thing in the long run for the Steelers.


PHILADELPHIA - SEPTEMBER 21: Brian Dawkins #20 of the Philadelphia Eagles dives and knocks the football out of the hands of Ben Roethlisberger #7 of the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second half on September 21, 2008 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Eagles won 15-6.(Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)

"We're going to build on this game. Just watch," said Parker, who was held to 20 yards rushing after producing back-to-back 100-yard games to open the season.

No loss is ever a good loss. Not even when the Steelers defense played another strong game and gave the offense a chance - albeit a slim one -- at victory in the fourth quarter.

That's all that a team can ask. But it was too much to ask from the Steelers offense.

"We knew coming in what kind of game it was going to be," Parker said. "We just didn't stand up. We didn't do nothing well at all."

If you're Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, the scary thing about yesterday's performance was that the Steelers appeared to lose their poise for the first time under his watch.

Tomlin wasn't around for the debacle in Baltimore two years ago. This was his first true glimpse at how his team performs under serious duress on the road. And it was his first look this season at how the Steelers responded to an opponent with a winning record.

For all of the hype surrounding the Steelers' first two victories, these facts are irrefutable: The Houston Texans, the Steelers' Week One victims, are 0-2.


Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Trent Cole sacks Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in the second quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2008, in Philadelphia. Cole was called for a facemask penalty (AP).

The Cleveland Browns, 10-6 losers to the Steelers last week, are 0-3.

Following yesterday's win over the 2-1 Steelers, Philadelphia is 2-1 with a close loss to Dallas blemishing its record.

On the road, against a winning team, all of the Steelers' warts were exposed for the entire NFL to probe and examine under a Petri dish.

Yesterday's performance may indeed only be a blip on the radar. A turnaround win next week against Baltimore and this loss to the Eagles will be buried and forgotten, as it should be.

Time will tell if yesterday's setback was an aberration or a true barometer for how the Steelers will perform against the better teams in the league. With many of the league's elite teams on their schedule in the coming weeks, the Steelers will find out soon enough exactly where they stand.

John Harris is a sports writer for the Tribune-Review. He can be reached at jharris@tribweb.com or 412-481-5432.

Effort by defense wasted

The Steelers lost as an offense of about two dozen, not as a team of 53

By Bob Smizik
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/steelers/
Monday, September 22, 2008


Peter Diana/Post-Gazette

Ben Roethlisberger is sacked by the Eagles' Juqua Parker.

PHILADELPHIA -- Mike Tomlin likes to talk about the Steelers winning with 53 men and losing with 53 men. Such talk is nothing but the purest of coachspeak -- words that might sound good but often make little sense and are used mainly to foster a sense of team unity. Tomlin stuck with them yesterday although it was clear that in this particular game that old bromide didn't come close to applying.

"We didn't win,'' Tomlin said following a 15-6 defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles. "We lost as 53.''

Not so.

The Steelers lost as an offense of about two dozen, not as a team of 53. The members of the offensive unit were manhandled by the Eagles. They were outmuscled, outhustled, outhit and outsmarted -- to say nothing of being outcoached.

After the game, members of the offensive unit spoke of "not being on the same page.'' They were so far from being cohesive it was more like they weren't in the same book or the same library.

Not only did the Eagles stop quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who completed 13 of 25 passes for 131 yards, they thoroughly silenced the Steelers' running game. The Steelers ran 19 times for 33 yards. After two 100-yard games, Willie Parker got 20 yards on 13 carries.


Peter Diana/Post-Gazette

Troy Polamalu and Bryant McFadden stop the Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson.

Consequently, it would be grossly unfair to blame any portion of this defeat on the defensive unit, which more than held up its end of the deal. The defense limited the Eagles to 15 points, 16 first downs and 260 yards. That should win most games, particularly considering the might of the Steelers offense. But at Lincoln Financial Field yesterday, it got them nothing.

This was one game in which Roethlisberger, as is his custom, did not give credit to his offensive linemen. If he had, the assembled media surrounding him might have doubled over in laughter. The offensive linemen left Roethlisberger as fair game to an Eagles onslaught that never stopped. Steelers quarterbacks were sacked nine times, with Roethlisberger going down on eight of them. It easily could have been 12 or more if Roethlisberger hadn't eluded tacklers or managed to make it across the line of scrimmage before being tackled after fleeing the pocket.

Seldom, if ever, has a Steelers offensive line been so badly outplayed. The Steelers coaches and players could not adjust to the defensive schemes of the Eagles and when they did the players were physically overmatched.

With no linemen to praise, Roethlisberger said the only nice thing he could:

"The defense was the reason were able to stay close. They gave us a chance to win the game.''

What was particularly heartening for the defense is it stopped what had been a prolific offense led by one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. The Eagles had averaged 37.5 points in their first two games. To hold them to less than half of that was remarkable. Quarterback Donovan McNabb led the Eagles on a 13-play, 85-yard drive on their second possession and did little else the remainder of the game.


Peter Diana/Post-Gazette

Byron Leftwich is sacked by the Eagles Juqua Parker and Darren Howard.

The Eagles played most of the final three quarters without running back Brian Westbrook, who is vital to their offense. But when he was in the game he managed only 12 yards on five carries and did not catch a pass.

"Overall, I thought we really played well,'' said inside linebacker Larry Foote, who was credited with 11/2 sacks.

It was a wasted effort, though. It should have been good enough for a win, instead it was part of a game that put a whole different slant on the season.

When the Steelers play Baltimore at Heinz Field in a week, it will be the Ravens who will be undefeated (2-0) and in first place in the AFC North Division. The gaping lead the Steelers opened over Cleveland, which was expected to be their toughest rival in the North, means nothing. With the Ravens beating Cleveland yesterday -- more soundly than the Steelers did -- they suddenly have the look of the team to beat in the division.

In circumstances like those of yesterday, it's always good to dredge up another old bromide: A team is never as good as it looks in a great victory and never as bad as it looks in bad defeat.

That definitely applies to the Steelers. They are not as bad as they played against the Eagles. The first two games, albeit against lesser opponents, were not mirages. The 10 wins from a year ago count for something. Adjustments will have to be made and the players will have to handle those adjustments and should.

On a day when the former AFC elite, New England and Indianapolis, lost to previously winless teams, the Steelers loss doesn't look all that outrageous.

It's the NFL: Anything can happen and usually does.

Bob Smizik can be reached at bsmizik@post-gazette.com.
First published on September 22, 2008 at 12:00 am

Coaches need to take some heat

By Ron Cook
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/
Monday, September 22, 2008


Peter Diana / Post-Gazette

Ben Roethlisberger is sacked by the Eagles' Juqua Parker.

PHILADELPHIA -- The worst part wasn't the 15-6 loss or the nine sacks by the Philadelphia Eagles or the fact the Steelers' offense could have played the game all night and still not threatened to score a touchdown.

The worst part yesterday was that the Steelers didn't have a clue what hit them at Lincoln Financial Field.

I'm talking about the players, sure. All of the offensive guys -- everybody from the quarterback to the running backs to the wide receivers and tight ends to the poor, beleaguered offensive linemen -- were truly awful.

But make sure you don't overlook the contributions to this sporting nightmare from Mike Tomlin and his Steelers coaches. They couldn't have had a more rotten game.

Where were the adjustments to Philadelphia's all-out blitzing defense? Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson is good, but he shouldn't be that much smarter than Tomlin and his guys.

Where were the draw plays and screen passes and quick, three-step-drop passes that slow down a pass rush and beat a blitzing defense? Did Steelers offensive coordinator Bruce Arians call more than one or two all day?

"We didn't have any answers for what they were doing," wide receiver Hines Ward said.

The man wasn't being critical. He merely was telling the hard truth.

Meanwhile, the Baltimore Ravens -- make that the AFC North Division's first-place Baltimore Ravens -- are home licking their chops. They can't wait to take their shots at Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger Monday night at Heinz Field.

"Baltimore has their own stuff," Steelers guard Kendall Simmons said. "But I can promise you, they'll add some of this stuff, too."

Why not after the way Johnson exposed the Steelers' offense?

The Eagles didn't blitz nearly as much in their first two games -- they didn't get a sack in their 41-37 loss to the Dallas Cowboys last Monday night -- and clearly caught the Steelers off guard.

Again, shame on Tomlin and his coaches.


Peter Diana / Post-Gazette

Willie Parker is stopped by the Eagles line backer Stewart Bradley.

"Our guys were getting rattled out there," Ward said. "You end up doing a lot of thinking. You don't know if you're blocking the right guy or doing the right thing. That's when you end up losing your technique. It can turn into a long day in a hurry."

The longest, actually.

You think it hurt to watch Roethlisberger drop back to pass? Imagine how it pained him. He was sacked eight times, a number that easily could have been 12 or even 15 if not for an offside penalty on the Eagles, a couple of Roethlisberger scrambles for minimal yards and the fact he threw away a few passes just as the Eagles were knocking him into next week.

As bad as the day was for Roethlisberger -- he lost two fumbles, threw an interception and took a safety -- it could have been much worse. He left immediately for the locker room after taking that eighth sack late in the game when his right hand was stepped on. X-rays showed no broken bones.

The truth?

Big Ben was lucky to be able to walk to the team bus.

What's surprising is that backup quarterback Byron Leftwich willingly went into the game. If he had told Tomlin, "No thanks, coach, not today," and begged off for safety reasons, no one would have blamed him.

Of course, Leftwich was sacked, too.

Tell the truth.

You want the Steelers to trade for new offensive linemen, don't you?

Those guys always are easy to blame and they certainly aren't exempt from criticism. Tomlin said there were times they were "beaten" on their blocks. There also was a false-start penalty on tackle Willie Colon and two on guard Chris Kemoeatu as well as holding penalties on Colon and Kemoeatu that were declined.

But it's flat wrong to just finger the big fellas.

Roethlisberger and his receivers didn't do a very good job reading the blitzes and making the Eagles pay for bringing so many so often. "There were plays to be made out there and we didn't make them. The skilled people, I'm talking about," running back Willie Parker said.

And I keep wanting to go back to Tomlin and the coaches. They did nothing to help the linemen and Roethlisberger. The running game wasn't very good -- Parker had just 20 yards on 13 carries after gaining more than 100 yards in each of the first two games -- but Arians didn't give it much chance.

"I was surprised," Eagles defensive end Trent Cole said. "They came out passing and I was just like, 'Wow! This is going to be fun.'"


Peter Diana/Post-Gazette

The Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman Marvell Smith and Chris Kemoeatu hang their heads on the sidelines.

For him and his Eagles buddies, maybe.

Not so much for Simmons and his bunch.

"It was 10-6 in the fourth quarter and the feeling on our sideline was like we were down 28-3," Simmons said. "That isn't right, man ...

"I'm going to bite my tongue. All I'm going to say is they were bringing more people than we could handle. We can block five or six. But when they bring six or seven or eight people, there's nothing we can do."

You beat that by having Roethlisberger and his receivers make the hot reads. You beat it by getting more out of Parker and the running game. You beat it with those draws and screens. And you beat it by winning the one-on-one blocks.

One lousy game doesn't have to ruin a season.

"Oh, we can get it fixed," Simmons said. "We definitely can get it fixed."

By Monday night, hopefully.

Any later than that might be too late for Roethlisberger.

Ron Cook can be reached at rcook@post-gazette.com
First published on September 22, 2008 at 12:00 am

Effort? No questions about Pirates after 15-8 rout

LaRoche's two home runs, Doumit's tiebreaker in eighth bury Dodgers

By Dejan Kovacevic
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/
Thursday, September 18, 2008


Lake Fong/Post-Gazette

Adam LaRoche follows through after hitting a grand slam off Dodgers starting pitcher Chad Billingsley in the fifth inning last night at PNC Park.

Whatever fate would befall the Pirates last night at PNC Park, manager John Russell promised a few hours beforehand, it would not be from a lack of effort.

As he told reporters at his daily news gathering, "I suspect these guys will come out with a new attitude, a little bit more fire."

Fire?

Try an inferno.

Adam LaRoche's two home runs included a grand slam, Ryan Doumit's two-run shot broke a tie in an eight-run seventh-inning, every starting position player had at least one hit, and the Pirates outlasted -- and, yes, outhustled -- the Los Angeles Dodgers for a 15-8 annihilation that had the crowd of 11,833 cheering throughout.

It was all quite the turnaround, to say the least.

The previous night, utilityman Doug Mientkiewicz called his team's showing in a lackadaisical 6-2 loss "embarrassing" and wondered aloud why so many teammates had bolted the clubhouse so quickly afterward.

This time, the mood shifted 180 degrees after a season-high scoring output in which, incredibly, 14 of the 15 runs came after two outs and, more incredibly, the final 12 came with two outs and no one aboard.

"I thought it was great," Russell replied when asked a second consecutive night about the effort. "They bounced back. These guys have been through a lot this year, and they've always shown the resiliency to do that."

Of the team's spirit, he added, "It was big. Guys were into it."

It was difficult to discern how much Mientkiewicz's callout influenced the process. By several accounts, players read and discussed the comments, but there was no special meeting, no extra workout, nothing out of the ordinary save a few extra questions for Russell.

He responded mostly by pointing to Mientkiewicz's fiery nature.

"Dougie's an emotional guy," Russell said. "He takes things to heart, and I don't fault Doug for being passionate about the game. If you catch him in a moment after the game where he's still hot, the frustration will come out."

Russell added that he rejects the notion -- one Mientkiewicz did not specifically state -- that the Pirates have given up on the season.

"As far as seeing the club quit, as far as throwing the towel in, no, I don't see that. When you play games like that one, from the outside looking in, it's kind of easy to point that finger. But these guys have really fought."

Leadoff man Nyjer Morgan set the Pirates' pace -- or changed it, perhaps -- with a hustling double to open the game, and the offense was on its way.

LaRoche's first home run off Chad Billingsley led off the fourth and pulled the Pirates within 4-3.

In the fifth, all after two outs, they got two singles and -- in a positive sign for a previously impatient lineup -- Doumit worked a walk after an 0-2 count to load the bases. LaRoche was next, and he crushed Billingsley's one-strike fastball into the center-field landscaping for his third career grand slam and a sudden 7-4 lead.

LaRoche's home run total is at 22, second-highest total of his career, and his five RBIs raised his September total to 21, second-highest in the National League.

"I feel good right now," LaRoche said. "Really good."

The Dodgers scored off Zach Duke -- five-plus innings, five runs, 11 hits -- in the sixth, then one each off T.J. Beam and John Grabow to tie, 7-7, through seven.


Lake Fong/Post-Gazette

Ryan Doumit greets Adam LaRoche after hitting a grand slam off Dodgers starting pitcher Chad Billingsley in the fifth inning last night at PNC Park.

But the Pirates erupted for that eight-run seventh that was their most productive inning of the season and, again, all after two outs.

Nate McLouth walked off fresh reliever Scott Elbert, and Doumit lasered a 2-1 fastball into the bleachers for his 14th home run and a 9-7 lead.

"Didn't think about it," Doumit said. "Just hit it."

Next came six consecutive hits, including Andy LaRoche's two-run single, Mientkiewicz's pinch-hit triple for another run, Jason Michaels' RBI single and two misplays by the Los Angeles defense that served to sharpen this role reversal.

After Mientkiewicz slid into third, he leaped to his feet and smacked his hands together, drawing one of the evening's loudest roars.

He did not do interviews after this one -- "I didn't do anything. Talk to everyone else" -- but his upbeat demeanor in the clubhouse spoke volumes.
"He's the guy," Doumit said from the stall next to Mientkiewicz's. "He leads with his words and by example. He loves the game. He's passionate about it. He wants to win. He knows the right way to go about his business. And guys know that. Guys follow that."

Dejan Kovacevic can be reached at dkovacevic@post-gazette.com.
First published on September 18, 2008 at 12:00 am

Overview
Roster
Stats
Schedule/Results

Today

Game: Pirates vs. Los Angeles Dodgers, 12:35 p.m., PNC Park

Radio: WPGB-FM (104.7).

Pitching: LHP Paul Maholm (9-8, 3.68) vs. LHP Clayton Kershaw (4-5, 4.41).

Key matchup: Kershaw, a 20-year-old drafted three slots behind the Pirates?? Brad Lincoln in the first round of 2006, currently is the youngest player in Major League Baseball and has 88 strikeouts in his first 96 innings.

Of note: Of the National League's 46 pitchers qualified for the ERA title, Maholm ranks 18th, Zach Duke 41st and Ian Snell 46th.

Polamalu regains game-changing ability

By Scott Brown
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/
Wednesday, September 17, 2008


Steelers safety Troy Polamalu returns an interception to end the first half against the Browns Sunday in Cleveland.
Chaz Palla/Tribune-Review file

Troy Polamalu has intercepted a pass in each of the Steelers' first two games. Just don't suggest to the apparently superstitious strong safety that he is close to starting a meaningful streak in that department.

"You don't talk to pitchers about no-hitters, right?" Polamalu said with a grin. "You just can't talk about it."

With apologies to Polamalu, his two interceptions are two more than he had last season, and they are a reflection of two things: a more aggressive approach that the defensive backs are taking this season and a return to health by the most dynamic player on the Steelers' defense.

Polamalu is 100 percent after battling a number of injuries and missing eight games the past two seasons. His teammates got a chance to fully appreciate what he can do when healthy when they watched film of their 10-6 win over the Browns.

On one play, Polamalu timed the snap perfectly and leaped over both lines, sabotaging a Browns run and showing yet again that few players in the NFL are as disruptive as the four-time Pro Bowler.

"He's playing at a high level, but he's healthy and I think that's always got something to do with it," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. "You can tell that Troy is healthy. I like him healthy."

Not only is Polamalu healthy, he is fresh, ironically enough, because of an injury.

The 5-foot-10, 207-pound strong safety missed all of training camp with a hamstring problem. Given the kind of burst he has shown in the Steelers' first two games, it looks like Polamalu benefited from not taking part in the grueling practices held in often sweltering weather at St. Vincent College.

"We're 2-0, I'm healthy right now, so I guess I wouldn't want to change a thing," Polamalu said.

Polamalu is one of several game-changers the Steelers have on defense. What sets him apart is his closing speed, that can be breathtaking.

"He's so fast from Point A to Point B," cornerback Bryant McFadden said. "He goes from 0 to 60 in a second. He's that guy that's always going to be around the ball like you're used to seeing and making critical tackles and making big plays."

The Steelers have already made their share of big plays on defense.

They have four interceptions through two games after picking off 11 passes all of last season.

McFadden, who intercepted Browns quarterback Derek Anderson on Sunday, said the defensive backs have developed a more aggressive mind-set.

That has manifested itself in the three interceptions defensive backs have made (outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley has the team's other interception). The Steelers had just eight interceptions from their secondary last season.

"From a (defensive back's) standpoint, our first emphasis is pretty much not to allow the receiver to catch the ball," McFadden said. "This year, everybody is focusing on if we get in the area, we're trying to pick it off. That's something we've been practicing. We feel like if we catch the ones we get our hands on, we'll be OK."

Scott Brown can be reached at sbrown@tribweb.com or 412-481-5432.