Many Rivers to Cross

"Help life where you find it."
-- Albert Schweitzer

Here in Pittsburgh, where it is currently eight degrees (eight!) Fahrenheit, Joey Porter's Pit Bulls sometimes find ourselves feeling far removed from world events and the compelling stories of others -- those poor people in Haiti, for instance. Well, although there may be Many Rivers to Cross, as Jimmy Cliff sang, maybe we're closer to one another than we may think sometimes. The least we can do is try to send out some good vibes and cultivate some good karma. Ain't no hoo-doo like some good ol' voudou. So, here goes ...

With longtime close ties to Pittsburgh, Hôpital Albert Schweitzer Haiti (HAS) is doing its best to help victims of the Jan. 12 earthquake. Established 55 years ago and now run by Ian Rawson, M.D., managing director and a former Pittsburgher, HAS is one of the few established institutions in Haiti positioned to provide care for the injured.

Although the people at HAS have done truly heroic work since the January 12 earthquake, the hospital is now strained beyond imagination. The hospital -- and Haiti in general, of course -- needs help.

You can read Dr. Rawson's updates here at his near-daily "Earthquake Blog."

More Links:

• Pittsburgh-based Friends of Hôpital Albert Schweitzer Haiti is striving mightily to help. Check it out at www.friendsofhas.org and via blog at www.friends of hasprojects.blogspot.com.

• Doctors Without Borders provides frequent updates.

• The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Dennis Roddy traveled to Port-au-Prince (and is there now, apparently) and has been filing gripping, detailed reports such as this one. Mr. Roddy began his excellent coverage the day after the quake, when he caught up with Pittsburgh internist Steve Williams, M.D., a longtime doctor at HAS, who equated the quake aftermath as "Armageddon."
  

• KDKA-TV's Mary Robb Jackson filed this report on Dr. Rawson and his team just a couple of days following the quake.

• Twenty-something sisters and Pittsburgh natives Jamie and Allie McMurtry dedicated their lives to helping the kids at Brebis de Saint-Michel de L'Attalaye (BRESMA) orphanage in Port-au-Prince. This article in Pittsburgh magazine a year ago highlighted the McMurtrie sisters' work in Port-au-Prince. Since the earthquake, the McMurty sisters' story has been chronicled on television and in other mainstream media, but perhaps nowhere as passionately as at the popular blog, That's Church, by Virginia Montanez, formerly known as PittGirl.
  

• My Road to Deschapelles, the autobiographical book by Gwen Grant Mellon, co-founder (with husband Larry) of Hôpital Albert Schweitzer Haiti, and the mother of Dr. Rawson, HAS's managing director.

• As detailed in Gwen Grant Mellon's book and in other places, Hôpital Albert Schweitzer has a fascinating history. For a snapshot version of how the hospital came to be founded, read this brief account posted on Dec. 28, a full two weeks before the earthquake, by documentary filmmaker Diana Odasso.

"Larry Mellon pursued a seemingly hare-brained dream: to restore human dignity to a small sliver of the underdeveloped world. True, he was a Mellon and had the financial wherewithal most do not. But imagine also the obstacles: Haiti's turbulent political history, its lack of infrastructure such as an electric grid and proper roads, the dire poverty, the corruption, the violence. How many of us would uproot and move to an area not with the best view but with the most need? When confronted by such grand acts of sacrifice, maybe we assume we are cut from a different cloth, that we are incapable of such heroics. But Larry once said 'People tell me what I am doing is noble but I really know it is selfish. I have found happiness in helping people no one else is helping. It was worth everything I had to get to this. I have sacrificed nothing.'"

One more link:

Because the communications infrastructure in Haiti is so strained right now, the best way to contact Hôpital Albert Schweitzer may be through its Pittsburgh contact-point at:

Hôpital Albert Schweitzer
P. O. Box 81046
Pittsburgh, PA 15217 USA

Phone: 412-361-5200 phone
Fax: 412.361.5400 fax

info@hashaiti.org

Contact HAS's Pittsburgh contacts to learn about development, finance, purchasing, freight forwarding, and travel to and from Haiti.

A Tale of Two Pierres (les deux Pierres)

Congratulations to the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts. Especially the Saints, who are Aints no more.

Just about everybody's going to be rooting for the Saints, and why not? Great city, long-suffering fans, storybook turnaround in the four-plus years since Katrina, uptempo offense, generally classy players led by quarterback Drew Brees and safety Darren Sharper, and a first-rate head coach.

The Colts, too, have a great quarterback (Peyton Manning) and a likable, classy head coach (Jim Caldwell). There's much to like about both teams, really, Archie Manning notwithstanding. The senior Manning, a bit of a tool, represents one common link between the two teams, and he will be a media storyline the next two weeks. Archie Manning was a legendary quarterback for the Saints way back when they carved out a near-unrivaled reputation for ineptitude and woefulness. He was so good -- on famously bad teams -- that he was the first Saints player to be named to the franchise's hall of fame. He went on, of course, to father two current-day NFL quarterbacks: the New York Giants' Eli Manning, who won a Super Bowl two years ago; and -- do we even need to say it? -- Peyton Manning, the future NFL Hall of Famer who won a Super Bowl three years ago and is back with Indianapolis for another crack at the Lombardi Trophy.

Archie Manning isn't the only common link between these two teams. This is the first Super Bowl where each team has a player named Pierre, and both play prominent roles at skill positions on offense for their respective teams.

For the Saints, it's Pierre Thomas, their terrific all-around go-to running back. Thomas was instrumental in yesterday's thrilling win over the formidable Minnesota Vikings. He scored two clutch touchdowns, had a key 40-yard kickoff return late in regulation and churned out tough yardage all day, including the crucial fourth-and-one conversion that kept alive the winning drive in overtime. "Mazel-tov!", as the late, great Steelers' broadcaster Myron Cope would say.

For the Colts, it's Pierre Garçon, who may have the most compelling story of anybody on these two teams -- which really is saying something.

Garçon, a speedy, playmaking second-year wide receiver, is the son of parents who immigrated from Haiti to the United States years ago.

Garçon grew up in Miami before attending Mt. Union College, a tiny but accomplished Division III powerhouse. To say he was a longshot even to make a team in the NFL is an understatement. Yet on Sunday, there he was, a starting wide receiver in the AFC Championship game and a primary target for the legendary Peyton Manning.

Garçon caught a game-high 11 passes for 151 yards and a touchdown, setting an AFC title game record for receptions and posting the third highest yardage total in the long, storied history of the Indianapolis/Baltimore Colts franchise.

All of this, of course, played against the backdrop of the unfolding tragedy in Haiti, a catastrophe of Biblical proportions. Not surprisingly, Garçon and his family have relatives in Haiti, and Garçon had to watch the situation since the earthquake even as he prepared for the title game. He vowed to play for the people of Haiti, and he promised to have a big game, a statement game, and he did.

Good for him.

"For Garçon, the opportunity to bring attention to Haiti was as important as a trip to Super Bowl XLIV: "What is going on over there is very tough," Garçon said. "Nobody should go through that, especially people that are less fortunate already. It is just bringing awareness and (giving) people support, and everyone has been showing their hands and helping us out."

-- Source/quote credit: Tom Silverstein, report in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

As pointed out by Toni Monkovic at the New York Times's blog, The Fifth Down, columnist Hal Habib at the Palm Beach Post summed up Garçon's situation nicely:

Although born in New York, he's a Haitian-American, with relatives on the island still unaccounted for. When you're in a situation like that, he says, you don't wake up and immediately turn on CNN. You sleep with it on.

"It's been a tough week," he said after the game, his smile disappearing for the first time. "It's been sad, just going through it, playing through them, playing so people could have more awareness about what's going on down there where I'm from. This hopefully puts a smile on their face for the day."

Electricity, of course, is at a premium in Haiti, but Garcon, 23, did his best to send the message there by draping the flag around the Lamar Hunt Trophy awarded to the AFC winner, then bringing it to his post-game news conference, as he did after the Colts' first playoff game. In a way, he had to bring the flag, because, he figures, he brought the people of Haiti with him on the field.

"It's what's motivating me now and keeping me strong," he said.

--- --- ---

Garçon is an easy guy to root for, hanging preposition notwithstanding. The New Orleans Saints are an easy team to root for.

Should be a good Super Bowl.

Animal Rescue Lague Dog of the Day

Coda!

What a nice dog. Coda's cool, with a lotta soul. He's a year or so past puppyhood, so he's mellow. He's also very friendly, smart, low-key, and extremely appreciative of a reassuring pat on the head or a soothing rub of his upturned belly, with all four legs up in the air. Coda walks beautifully on the leash -- he's very easy on the leach -- and he's well mannered to the point of being downright poilte.

Seriously, Coda's a nice dog. Really nice. Not too adventuresome, Coda seems to be a homebody. And Coda needs a home.

You can visit Coda in person/dog at
The Animal Rescue League of Western Pennsylvania,
located at Fifth and Hamilton in EastSide/Shadyside/East Liberty whatever the realtors are calling my neighborhood in Pittsburgh these days.

The shelter is near Mellon Park, Trader Joe's and the Nabisco plant
(now being developed as Bakery Square).
= = = =
Animal Rescue League of Western Pennsylvania
6620 Hamilton Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15206
= = = =

Tel: 412-661-6452

"Everybody should have a dog."
-- Frank Dunn

Picking Up Where We Left Off ...

Yeah, yeah, we know: The Steelers went on a five-game losing streak and so did Joey Porter's Pit Bulls. We got disgusted and quit posting for a while. So what? Maybe the losses to the Chiefs, Raiders and BROWNS (??!!!) did it. Anyway, here are we are. Once again. Happy New Year.

Joey Porter's Pit Bulls just finished reading Ed Bouchette's article (in Sunday's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) on nose tackle Casey Hampton's status. Frankly, Joey Porter's Pit Bulls believe Hampton, also known as "Big Snack," didn't have that great a season in 2009, and that he made the Pro Bowl primarily on reputation. Also, we remain concerned about Hampton's longevity -- how many years does he have left? He might be one of those guys (like James Farrior) who gets old in a hurry, or he could hang in there for another five or six years. It's hard to say, especially for nose tackles.

Having said that, and considering the looming expiration of the league's Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and a potentially uncapped year, the Steelers' best option might be to apply a one-year "non-exclusive franchise tag" on Hampton. As Bouchette explains, it would work like this (with emphasis added by yours truly) ...

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"Hampton has said he wants to stay with the Steelers and privately has told people that someone promised him the team would not put the franchise tag on him.

"The cost to put the one-year franchise or transition tenders on a player have not yet been revealed by the league or the players union. Last season a one-year salary required to pay a franchised defensive tackle was slightly more than $6 million, about $5.5 million for the transition tag.

"Each team will have both a franchise and transition tag if the collective bargaining agreement is not extended by March 5. That might not be a bad way for the Steelers to go with Hampton, who counted $6,652,000 against their salary cap last season. He would roughly count the same if franchised in 2010.

"If they put the "exclusive" franchise tag on Hampton, he cannot negotiate with other teams. The "non-exclusive" tag would allow him to negotiate and if he signs and the Steelers do not match, they would receive two first-round draft choices in return. The transition tag only allows the Steelers the right to match another contract and keep the player.

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If that's the case, everybody should be happy with the non-exclusive tag. The Steelers assign a salary and cap number they believe they can afford, yet Hampton could explore other options and, if he signs elsewhere, the Steelers would receive two first-round draft picks. That, of course, would be a hefty (and probably prohibitive) price for just about any team to lay out for a 32-year-old nose tackle with a history of dodgy knees, but still ... by exercising the non-exclusive franchise tag, the Steelers would almost certainly get Hampton's services for one more year, yet also have the insurance of receiving two first-round picks if he signs elsewhere. It seems like the safest of all options and the happiest resolution for all parties.

Plus, the team has so many other holes to fill (offensive line, cornerback, etc.), this option seems like a no-brainer, even if Hampton may not like it (and, really, for him, what's not to like about getting paid more than $6 million for one year of playing football for a team with a chance to compete for the Super Bowl, in the city that's been his home for the past nine years and with arguably the best fans in professional football).

As for the other potential free agents that Bouchette plans to cover this week, Joey Porter's Pit Bulls expect all of them will be set free to explore free agency. Those players are Ryan Clark, Willie Parker, Deshea Townsend, Willie Colon and, yes, Jeff Reed.

We suspect that all things being equal, the team would like to keep Willie Colon, but we also suspect that his agent may encourage him to go for the big payday, considering his relatively young age, the premium on offensive tackles in the NFL, and the fact that this window represents perhaps his one big opportunity to grab the gold ring -- so Colon may be out of the Steelers' control in any case.

As for Jeff Reed, eh, tough call. It's been fun -- destroying towel dispensers at a Sheetz convenience store!; spiky goofy hair!!; ridiculous pictures on the Internet!!! drunken arrest for assuming a "fighting stance" with cops outside McFadden's Pub!!!! -- and reliable kickers are invaluable. Just ask the Arizona Cardinals and Cincinnati Bengals, whose kickers (Neil Rackers and Shayne Graham, respectively) missed crucial and potentially game-winning field goals in the playoffs. Reed, of course, missed two crucial field goals during the regular-season loss to Chicago, missed another potential difference-maker against Cinci, and of course has been featured in various police reports while carving out a hard-earned Internet reputation as a lovable, partying goofball during the past few years. His kickoffs are nothing special, either, and likely contributed to the many long kickoff returns last year.

The Steelers may have tired of Reed's act and almost certainly are weighing their options, especially in light of the off-field issues, erratic kickoffs and Reed's potential salary with its concurrent hit on the salary cap, at least in 2010.

Well, just sayin' ... don't be surprised if we're all saying hello to Piotr Czech as the Steelers' new placekicker next September.