Rest in Peace, Hedy Lamarr

"That's HEDLEY!!!"
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/05/29/state/n155845D90.DTL

This could be bad for the Wed Wings.

We keep coming back to the boxing analogy. Like a fighter sizing up its opponent, the young Penguins played last night as if they were a young team just beginning to figure out its older, more experienced, savvier, more skilled opponent. Its young stars stopped trying to do everything individually, and started passing more instead of stick-handling through traffic.

Just as auspiciously, the defense jelled, and hit, and hit, and hit, and hit. Especially Brooks Orpick. More of that to come, and as this young team finds its legs, the older Wed Wings could be in for a fight, no, make that a slugfest.

This series is only just beginning. Having said that, the Penguins had better start winning some face-offs.

Home Sweet Home

The Penguins haven't lost at The Igloo in three months. The key? Move your feet.

"I think maybe we moved our feet a little bit more," said Crosby, explaining his squad's improved play.

And, admit it. You've done it, too.

You've called them the Wed Wings.

What took so long?

Good riddance, Mark Madden. Your misanthropic, mean-spirited, low-minded schtick is done. It's about time – long overdue, in fact. Somewhere, Myron Cope is smiling and raising a toddy in a celebratory toast to karma.

Ryan Wilson, who writes for AOL Fanhouse and Heels, Sox, Steelers, said it well:

"Earlier this year, I spent a few hundred words bellyaching about the sorry state of Pittsburgh sports radio. Specifically, the fact that village idiot/local ESPN radio 'personality' Mark Madden earned a paycheck to spew invective while making everybody who listened to him dumber in the process. … For Madden, it couldn't have happened to a nicer jerk."

As George Costanza might've said, "The jerk store just ran out of jerks."

Schadenfreude can be so sweet sometimes, and this is one of them.

Steel City vs. Motor City: "Get Dressed Grandma, This Bingo Game is Ready to Roll!"

“What’s the sense of being Irish if you can’t be dumb?"
-- Billy Conn, the Pittsburgh Kid

If Philadelphia's Flyers were paper thugs, ersatz contenders like Sylvester Stallone's Rocky Balboa, Detroit's Red Wings are the real deal. Like Joe Louis.

The Penguins go from Rocky Balboa to Joe Louis.

From Philadelphia's thugs on ice and louts in the stands to Hockeytown, with octopi tossed onto the ice at Joe Louis Arena and a rich tradition of class and grace surrounding the franchise and its fans.

Unlike Pittsburgh-Philadelphia (Penguins-Flyers), there is no animosity between Pittsburgh and Detroit. In fact, for these two great cities built long ago in part as French colonial fort outposts, there's a sense of kinship forged in the historical socio-economic connection of history and industry (Pittsburgh's steel building Detroit's automobiles) and cemented in the February 2006 Super Bowl where Les Detroitois embraced and welcomed more than 100,000 visiting Steelers fans who adopted the city as their home away from home, as the Steelers prepared for and won Super Bowl XL.

But Detroit had no stake in that game, except as host city. Once again Detroit plays the host, but this is a different story. This is the Stanley Cup Final. And it starts in Hockeytown.

"Oh, woe is me, tut-tut, how will the Penguins ever compete?"

The Red Wings, one of the NHL's most storied Original Six franchises, have won 10 Stanley Cups to the Penguins two. The Wings have been to the Stanley Cup Final four times in the past 11 years, the Pens not once since 1992. The Wings had the NHL's best record this past season and bring a distinguished and accomplished corps of veteran stalwarts and future Hall of Famers to this Final. The young Penguins open on the road and are led by a 20-year-old. It's been speculated that if somehow the Penguins win this series, juice boxes will be handed out in the winning locker instead of champagne.

If the powerful Red Wings are Joe Louis, the Brown Bomber, the plucky Penguins are Billy Conn, the Pittsburgh Kid. And we all know how that one turned out. Let's hope the Pittsburgh Kids come out on top this time, and let's hope the series will turn out to be be every bit as entertaining as that legendary fight (see the excerpt, below, from Frank Deford's classic article in Sports Illustrated).

Other Perspectives:
A great column from the Post-Gazette's Bob Dvorchak, who notes the historical connections between the two cities:

The teams never have collided in the playoffs and meet sporadically during the regular season because of the unbalanced schedule. And at first glance, this series is a blank slate. There is no contempt bred by familiarity. No known grudges. No coaching feud. No insults or trash talk. Just a best-of-seven played out in two cities with blue-collar legacies between two teams with world-class forwards, team-based defenses and high-caliber goaltending. In short, it could be a classic and the best ad for the new NHL that the suits could have hoped for.

But from the long view, the two cities -- both of which share roots as French forts before there was an America -- have hockey bonds that rival those between father and son, and sports traditions that intertwine.

The Pirates won their first World Series title in Detroit in 1909, with Honus Wagner outplaying Ty Cobb. Billy Conn, an upstart light heavyweight from East Liberty, was nine minutes away from becoming heavyweight champion of the world in 1941 when he got greedy and was knocked out by Detroit's Joe Louis, for whom the Red Wings' hockey arena is named. Detroit's NFL team has endured the Curse of Bobby Layne stemming from his trade to the Steelers in 1958. Pittsburgh won its last major title in Detroit at Super Bowl XL, when the city welcomed Steelers fan with open arms. Former Pirates skipper Jim Leyland now manages the Tigers.

And, as far as hockey goes, the sport wouldn't exist in Pittsburgh without Detroit. The relationship goes back to 1936 when a minor-league team called the Detroit Olympics was sold, relocated to Pittsburgh and operated as a minor-league team for the Red Wings. That team became the Pittsburgh Hornets, denizens of the old Duquesne Gardens, who shipped NHL players to Detroit the way the old Pittsburgh mills shipped steel to the Motor City to make cars.

--------------------------
Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times is one of many across North America who says "Pens vs. Wings: Just What the NHL Needs," but she says it well ...

"The face of the NHL is scruffy, Sidney Crosby's attempt at a playoff beard having resulted in fuzz more befitting a high school prom king than a player who carried the Pittsburgh Penguins from near-extinction to the Stanley Cup finals.

"Crosby, a few months too young to legally drink adult beverages, will take on the biggest challenge of his career starting tonight at Joe Louis Arena. The final between the Penguins and Red Wings is the most eagerly anticipated in years, promising world-class skills, smart defense and the grit that sets the hockey playoffs apart from other postseason tournaments."

----------------

More on Billy Conn vs. Joe Louis:

"The Boxer and the Blonde," Frank DeFord's classic article on Billy Conn, in Sports Illustrated, courtesy of billyconn.net:

June 18, 1941, The Polo Grounds, New York ...

Billy Conn crossed himself when he climbed into the ring that night.

And ... the fight began, Joe Louis’s 18th defense, his seventh in seven months.

Conn started slower than even he was accustomed to. Louis, the slugger, was the one who moved better. Conn ducked a long right so awkwardly that he slipped and fell to one knee. The second round was worse, Louis pummeling Conn’s body, trying to wear the smaller man down. He had 30 pounds on him, after all. Unless you knew the first rounds didn’t matter, it was a rout. This month’s bum.

In his corner, Conn sat down, spit and said to his cornerman, “All right, Moon, here we go.” He came out faster, bicycled for a while, feinted with a left and drove home a hard right. By the end of the round he was grinning at the champ, and he winked to Jawnie Ray, his trainer, when he returned to the corner. The spectators were up on their feet, especially the ones who had bet Conn.

The fourth was even more of a revelation, for now Conn chose to slug a little with the slugger, and he came away the better for the exchange. When the bell rang, he was flat-out laughing as he came back to his corner. “This is a cinch,” he told Jawnie.

But Louis got back on track in the fifth, and the fight went his way for the next two rounds as blood flowed from a nasty cut over the challenger’s right eye. At Forbes Field in Pittsburgh the crowd grew still, and relatives and friends listening downstairs from where Maggie lay worried that Billy’s downfall was near.

But Conn regained command in the eighth, moving back and away from Louis’s left, then ripping into the body or the head. The ninth was all the more Conn, and he grew cocky again. “Joe, I got you,” he popped off as he flicked a good one square on the champ’s mouth, and then, as Billy strode back to his corner at the bell, he said, “Joe, you’re in a fight tonight.”

“I know it,” Louis replied, confused and clearly troubled now.

The 10th was something of a lull for Conn, but it was a strategic respite. During the 11th, Conn worked Louis high and low, hurt the champ, building to the crescendo of the 12th, when the New York Herald Tribune reported in the casual racial vernacular of the time that Conn “rained left hooks on Joe’s dusky face.” He was a clear winner in this round, which put him up 7—5 on one card and 7-4-1 on another; the third was 6—6. To cap off his best round, Conn scored with a crushing left that would have done in any man who didn’t outweigh him by 30 pounds. And it certainly rattled the crown of the world’s heavyweight champion. The crowd was going berserk. Even Maggie was given the report that her Billy was on the verge of taking the title.

Only later would Conn realize the irony of striking that last great blow. “I miss that, I beat him,” he says. It was that simple. He was nine minutes from victory, and now he couldn’t wait. “He wanted to finish the thing as Irishmen love to,” the Herald Tribune wrote.

Louis was slumped in his corner. Jack Blackburn, his trainer, shook his head and rubbed him hard. “Chappie,” he said, using his nickname for the champ, “you’re losing. You gotta knock him out.” Louis didn’t have to be told. Everyone understood. Everyone in the Polo Grounds. Everyone listening through the magic of radio. Everyone. There was bedlam. It was wonderful. Men had been slugging it out for eons, and there had been 220 years of prizefighting, and there would yet be Marciano and the two Sugar Rays and Ali, but this was it. This was the best it had ever been and ever would be, the 12th and 13th rounds of Louis and Conn on a warm night in New York just before the world went to hell. The people were standing and cheering for Conn, but it was really for the sport and for the moment and for themselves that they cheered. They could be a part of it, and every now and then, for an instant, that is it, and it can’t ever get any better. This was such a time in the history of games.

Only Billy Conn could see clearly—the trouble was, what he saw was different from what everybody else saw. What he saw was himself walking with Mary Louise on the Boardwalk at Atlantic City, down the shore, and they were the handsomest couple who ever lived, and people were staring, and he could hear what they were saying. What they were saying was: “There goes Billy Conn with his bride. He just beat Joe Louis.” And he didn’t want to hear just that. What he wanted to hear was: “There goes Billy Conn with his bride. He’s the guy who just knocked out Joe Louis.” Not for himself: That was what Mary Louise deserved.

Billy had a big smile on his face. “This is easy, Moonie,” he said. “I can take this sonuvabitch out this round.”

Jawnie blanched. “No, no, Billy,” he said. “Stick and run. You got the fight won, Stay away, kiddo. Just stick and run, stick and run. There was the bell for the 13th.

And then it happened. Billy tried to bust the champ, but it was Louis who got through the defenses, and then he pasted a monster right on the challenger’s jaw. “Fall! Fall!” Billy said to himself. He knew if he could just go down, clear his head, he would lose the round, but he could still save the day. “But for some reason, I couldn’t fall. I kept saying, ‘Fall, fall,’ but there I was, still standing up. So Joe hit me again and again, and when I finally did fall, it was a slow, funny fall. I remember that.” Billy lay flush out on the canvas. There were two seconds left in the round, 2:58 of the 13th, when he was counted out. The winnah and still champeen. . . .

“It was nationality that cost Conn the title,” the Herald Tribune wrote. “He wound up on his wounded left side, trying to make Irish legs answer an Irish brain.”

On the radio, Billy said, “I just want to tell my mother I’m all right.”

Back in the locker room, Jawnie Ray said not to cry because bawxers don’t cry. And Billy delivered the classic: “What’s the sense of being Irish if you can’t be dumb?”

Ohhhhh ... She wants to sell my monkey!!! Call Arnold Slick From Turtle Crick! Scratch My Back With a Hacksaw!!!

Get Dressed, Grandma, This Bingo Game is Ready to Roll!!!

The lights go out in Philadelphia, one by one.

There Will Be Blood, Philly Fans Will Boo ... Let's Go Pens! Let's Go Pens!!

From Sports Illustrated, for cryin' out loud ...

"Ever since they booed Santa Claus, Philadelphia fans have had a reputation as the nastiest in all of sports."

From Answers.com ...

"The incident occurred in 1968. The Eagles were having a miserable season under Joe Kuharich, who may have been the most disliked coach in team history. The team started off the season 0-11 (back then they played 14 games), but the lone bright spot was that the team would be in position to select O.J. Simpson with the first overall pick in the 1969 draft. The Eagles then went on a two-game winning streak and lost out on the first pick. So even when they won, they lost."

"The Santa Claus incident occurred during halftime of the last game of the season, a game in which the Eagles were defeated by the Vikings. Back then, the regular season ended before Christmas, so they had a show at halftime. An older person was supposed to be Santa but he didn't show up (or was too sick or drunk depending on which version of the story you hear). In his place, they found a guy in the stands who had come to the game dressed in a Santa suit. He was young, skinny guy who didn't look the part. There have been accounts of the person being drunk, but it's unclear whether that's ever been verified."

"The fan reaction was a combination of a poor portrayal of Santa, frustration with coach Kuharich (who was fired after the '68 season) and the team. Philadelphia had become a football wasteland at the time. Between 1962 and 1977, the Eagles had exactly one winning season. On this day, fans took their frustration out on Santa."

Men In Black ... Well, in Black 'n Gold: Let's Go Pens!

Well, you wonder why I always dress in black,
Why you never see bright colors on my back,
And why does my appearance seem to have a somber tone.
Well, there's a reason for the things that I have on.

I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down,
Livin' in the hopeless, hungry side of town,
I wear it for the prisoner who has long paid for his crime,
But is there because he's a victim of the times.

I wear the black for those who never read,
Or listened to the words that Jesus said,
About the road to happiness through love and charity,
Why, you'd think He's talking straight to you and me.

Well, we're doin' mighty fine, I do suppose,
In our streak of lightnin' cars and fancy clothes,
But just so we're reminded of the ones who are held back,
Up front there ought 'a be a Man In Black.

I wear it for the sick and lonely old,
For the reckless ones whose bad trip left them cold,
I wear the black in mournin' for the lives that could have been,
Each week we lose a hundred fine young men.

And, I wear it for the thousands who have died,
Believen' that the Lord was on their side,
I wear it for another hundred thousand who have died,
Believen' that we all were on their side.

Well, there's things that never will be right I know,
And things need changin' everywhere you go,
But 'til we start to make a move to make a few things right,
You'll never see me wear a suit of white.

Ah, I'd love to wear a rainbow every day,
And tell the world that everything's OK,
But I'll try to carry off a little darkness on my back,
'Till things are brighter, I'm the Man In Black.

Let's Go Pens!

This is good, from Doubt About It.

Behind Blue Eyes

This post is not about football. Sorry.

And we're just asking, although it probably wouldn't make people smile during polite dinner conversation ...

Did you know one in every 100 Americans is in prison?

So, we're just asking: Do you know anybody in prison? In a county jail? City lock-up? In a federal penitentiary?

Personally, I don't (except for Michael Vick).

I don't know anybody in jail or prison.

Damn, though, that statistic seems high. Is it accurate? I sure don't know.

What I do know is this: There is a company out there called Corrections Correction of America.
ttp://www.correctionscorp.com/

It's a big company.

From CCA's own boilerplate statement:

"Corrections Corporation of America is the nation's largest owner and operator of privatized correctional and detention facilities and one of the largest prison operators in the United States, behind only the federal government and three states. CCA currently operates 63 facilities, including 38 company-owned facilities, with a total design capacity of approximately 67,000 beds in 19 states and the District of Columbia."

Hey, just throwing it out there.

Okay, cut me a break: It's the off-season.

Comments, insults, stories, jokes and jibes are welcome.

When Pigs Fly

Paging Mr. Waters.

Paging Mr. Waters.

Would you please claim your pig.



INDIO, Calif.—When things go bad for a huge inflatable pig, don't expect it to be pretty.

A helium-filled swine, released into the night sky during Roger Waters' headlining set Sunday at the Coachella music festival in the Southern California desert, has been found in pieces.

Two couples found tattered halves of the pig Monday in their yards, a few miles from the festival grounds.

Concert organizers had offered a $10,000 reward for the swine's return. On Tuesday, the pieces of the plastic carcass were examined.

"That's definitely our pig," producer Bill Fold said.

Susan Stoltz found a plastic heap in her driveway Monday, but said she didn't know what it was until she read about the missing pig in the Desert Sun newspaper.

"My kids are going to think I'm so cool," she said.

Another resident of the same neighborhood, Judy Rimmer, said she found a piece of the pig draped over a front-yard plant.

The two couples will split the cash reward, Fold said.

As tall as a two-story house and as wide as two school buses, the pig was led from lines held on the ground Sunday as Waters played a version of Pink Floyd's "Pigs" from the 1977 anti-capitalist album "Animals." Then it just floated away.

"It wasn't really supposed to happen that way. I don't have the details," festival spokeswoman Marcee Rondan said.

The pig displayed the words "Don't be led to the slaughter" and a cartoon of Uncle Sam holding two bloody cleavers. The other side reads "Fear builds walls" and the underside reads "Obama" with a checked ballot box for U.S. Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama.

Let's Go Pens! Let's Go Pens!!

Let's Go Pens! Let's Go Pens!!

"Dispatch these foul beasts*
back into the abyss from which they crawled."

(*pictured: New York's Jaromir Jagr, who looks like he should be playing for the Devils, not the Rangers)

______________________

And while we're at it, "Let's Go Bucs!" (yeah, well, we know)

The Post-Gazette's Dejan Kovacevic noted the following about the Pirates' two best position players this season:

"Xavier Nady's 26 RBIs in the season's opening month were the most by any Pirates hitter since Willie Stargell's 27 in 1971. And, if that were not enough, his average is .337, he has hit safely in 21 of his first 26 starts and he has played a good, sometimes very good right field. … Maybe more impressive in its own way, Nate McLouth's RBI total is 25, this despite batting leadoff on a team that has gotten little production from the bottom of the order. His average: .342. Between them, Nady and McLouth have driven in 40 percent of the Pirates' 126 runs. No other player has more than 10 RBIs."

We're Number One!

Headlines across the nation proclaim: "Pittsburgh Beats Out Los Angeles As U.S. City With Worst Air Pollution"

But don’t blame us. It's not our fault!

According to ABC News:

Pittsburgh scored poorly in short-term particle pollution, overtaking habitual offender Los Angeles. Pittsburgh also came in second on the list of most polluted cities for year-round particle pollution.

George Leikauf, a professor of environmental health at the School of Public Health at the University of Pittsburgh, found the results of the study only "a little surprising."

"I'm not an apologist for Pittsburgh. … Particulate has been associated with more deaths than ozone. If you had to pick your poison, you'd rather have ozone than particulate matter."

Although much of the country may have a stereotype of Pittsburgh as a blue collar, steel mill town, Leikauf says that's no longer the case. According to him, more than 80 percent of western Pennsylvania's particulate matter actually drifts from Ohio power plants.

They're probably Browns fans.

Anywhoo, according to the UK's Reuters News Service (and what do they know?), the American Lung Association concludes: "In Pittsburgh, the biggest source of particle pollution is a steel plant in nearby Clareton."

For the record, asswipe, it's spelled "Clairton." Get it right.

For all that, Leijauf (the guy from Pitt) says,

"It turns out we don't have very many steel mills at all anymore," Leikauf said. "These are fine particles. They stay suspended in the air. You can detect them in the Antarctic. In fact, some of California's air pollution is coming from China."

Just great: American jobs get exported to China, and Chinese air pollution gets exported back to us.

Whatever. Let's go Pens!

This will be fun

It will be fun to watch how the careers of running backs Felix Jones and Rashard Mendenhall play out in Dallas and Pittsburgh, respectively. For that matter, it will be interesting to see how the respective careers of all four first-round running backs compare over time.

Darren McFadden of Arkansas was the consensus first choice, and with good reason. Still, much of the pre-draft talk highlighted concerns about McFadden's off-field distractions (we have a feeling he'll be just fine), and whether he will be anything more than a straight-line outside rusher in the NFL (we have a feeling he'll be exceptional).

Most mock drafts projected Mendenhall would be the second running back taken and would land in the top 15.

The second back taken, however, turned out to be Jonathan Stewart of Oregon, who was selected much higher than most people anticipated, despite still being in a walking cast after off-season surgery on his foot. He has an injury history. If he's healthy, he should have a tremendous career – but you hate to have that "if" in there for such a big investment.

The real drama, and this is where it get really interesting, is how the careers of Felix Jones and Rashard Mendenhall will compare. These two will be forever linked simply because they were selected with consecutive picks (Jones by Dallas at No. 22, and Mendenhall by Pittsburgh at No. 23).

Dallas owner Jerry Jones obviously made a conscious decision to draft Jones over Mendenhall.

Much of the pre-draft speculation had Jerry Jones him taking Felix Jones at No. 22 – but there's no way he could have foreseen Mendenhall would also be available, as Mendenhall was the higher-rated player.

Even last year, after Jerry Jones swung the 2007 Brady Quinn deal with Cleveland that netted him an extra first-round in the 2008 draft, there was widespread talk that Jerry Jones (who, like McFadden and Felix Jones, attended the University of Arkansas) would try to maneuver into position to land McFadden; or, sit tight with his two picks at 22 and 28 and gladly draft Felix Jones. And that's exactly what he did.

His choice of Felix Jones over Mendenhall suggests he was fixated on the one player (Felix Jones). It's as if Jerry was so set on landing Felix that he just couldn't recalibrate his thinking to envision of the possibility of Mendenhall in a Dallas uniform.

Sometimes you get the feeling, too, that Jerry Jones likes to show that he is smarter than everyone else. It's called "hubris."

He explained his thinking afterward and, yes, we understand his rationale. Jerry envisions Felix as a speedy scatback complement to Marion Barber, the team's bruising workhorse feature back. Jerry concluded that because Mendenhall's style was closer to Barber's, he wouldn't represent as dramatic a change of pace or style as Felix Jones.

That is to overlook several salient points, however, not least of which is this: Mendenhall is actually faster than Felix Jones. And, with an additional 20 pounds, Mendenhall gives every indication he will be the more rugged, durable back, as well.

Why wouldn't Mendenhall be just as good a complement to Barber?

You can debate the old football axiom, if you want, but there is some merit to it: Faster is better than slower, and bigger is better than smaller. Rashard Mendenhall is faster and bigger than Felix Jones (or Jerry Jones, for that matter).

In Dallas, there has been considerable second-guessing of Jerry Jones' decision to draft Felix Jones over Rashard Mendenhall (see the links below). Lots of reasons, including Marion Barber's touchy contract situation, are in the discussion.

In Pittsburgh, on the other hand, there's been virtually no second-guessing about the decision to draft Mendenhall. A radio talk show host asked Steelers' personnel director Kevin Colbert
what he might have done had Dallas selected Mendenhall instead of Jones. Colbert tactfully evaded giving a direct answer, but it seemed clear the Steelers would have passed on Jones.

Paraphrasing here, he said, essentially:

• Dallas was looking for a certain type of back to complement Barber, and Jones fit their criteria for a change-of-pace scatback to stretch defenses. Fair enough.
• While Jones complements Barber nicely, his style of play more closely resembles Parker's. In Pittsburgh, therefore, Mendenhall fits the Steelers' scheme better and will complement Parker perfectly.
  
• Besides, the Steelers had other needs.
• Colbert, of course, would not tip his hand about which other player the team might have chosen, or whether it would have traded out of the No. 23 slot to add extra picks.

So, we're left to speculate, but it seems clear the Steelers would not have selected Felix Jones had he been available.

While discussing Felix Jones, by the way, Colbert was complimentary. No disrespect, none at all He noted that Felix Jones reminds him of Eric Metcalfe, who had a fine career as a similar type of speedy, role-playing, third-down change-of-pace scatback.

It seems a fair comparison.

Keeping in mind, however, that if styles make the match, Steelers offensive coordinator compares Mendenhall to a young Edgerrin James – and that seems a valid comparison, too.

So, Steeler fans, who would you rather have? Thought so.

Again, nothing against Felix Jones. He's an exciting player, and we wish him luck in Dallas. It's just that we're thrilled to have Rashard Mendenhall in Black 'n Gold.

Yes, styles make the match. And it will interesting to see how the Cowboys and Steelers match up when they play each other Dec. 7 at Heinz Field..

Yup, this will be fun to watch.

--------------------------------------

Links From the DFW Metroplex:
"Mendenhall -- the best back in this draft -- was the right pick for Dallas"
http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2008/04/mendenhall-vs-jones-the-final-word.html

"Wrong selection for the Cowboys? You don't draft a complementary player in the first round when you have an opportunity to select a franchise back. Ever. But that's what the Dallas Cowboys did Saturday by picking Felix Jones over Rashard Mendenhall"
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/football/cowboys/stories/042708dnspotaylor.3bb4d8c.html

"I wouldn't have picked him (Jones) over Rashard Mendenhall. I would've gone with the guy who is bigger, a shade faster, just as quick and catches the ball just as well, although he doesn't return kicks. T he Cowboys could build their offense around him if Marion Barber were ever unavailable."

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/football/cowboys/stories/043008dnspocowboysnewletter.2c729e1.html

"Wrong back for the Cowboys?"
http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/columnists/randy_galloway/index.html

Pre-draft scouting report on Mendenhall, including very interesting commentary from Reggie Hayward, his position coach at Illinois:
http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2008/03/prospecting-rashard-mendenhall.html

A Dynamic Duo

Steelers fans and coaches are still pinching themselves over their good fortune on draft day.

Steelers offensive coordinator Bruce Arians appears positively giddy with visions of Rashard Mendenhall paired with Willie Parker in the same backfield. Arians, who was an assistant coach in Indianapolis when Edgerrin James was in his prime, likens Mendenhall to James, who has been one of the game's elite running backs during his distinguished career.

Not to get ahead of ourselves – Mendenhall has yet to don a uniform in the NFL – but the comparison seems right on. James and Mendenhall have very similar styles of running; and, if anything, Mendenhall may be a tad faster and a little bigger than James.

Mendenhall's likeness to James is striking. Both players even wore the same uniform number (No. 5) in college (James at Miami; Mendenhall at Illinois).

The prospect of having a young Edgerrin James in his prime, with his whole career ahead of him, and running out of the same backfield as Willie Parker and Ben Roethlisberger …oh yeah, that's exciting for Steelers' fans.

Parker himself welcomes the addition of Mendenhall. Of course he does. After all, the Steelers cannot keep giving Parker 370 carries a year and expect him to last very long, or be optimally productive. Mendenhall can only help Parker's productivity and longevity.

Like everybody else before the draft, Joey Porter's Pit Bulls had no idea Mendenhall would fall all the way to the Steelers at pick No. 23. It seemed impossible. Figuring the Steelers would address offensive line later in the draft, and having reservations about all the top wide receivers as first-round picks, and having qualms about most of the defensive players likely to be available, we advocated drafting Miami safety Kenny Phillips – our rationale being, among other things, that pairing the best safety in the NFL (Troy Polamalu) with the best safety coming out of college (Phillips) would give the Steelers better value at that point in the draft than other options.

This is way more exciting. Pairing Parker (the NFL's leading rusher until his broken leg, from which he will be fully recovered by training camp) with Mendenhall (one of the top running backs, and arguably the best running back coming out of college) presents possibilities for a truly Dynamic Duo.

Matt Morris & Barry Zito: Funny. Money.

Joey Porter's Pit Bulls get annoyed when we hear curmudgeonly old-school sportswriters (Ron Cook, Bob Smizik) in the mainstream media chastise Pirates' fans for feeling bad that the Pirates had to eat the $10 million contract (plus a $1 million buyout) of pitcher Matt Morris, who was clearly at the end of the road and whom the team released on Sunday.

"It's not your money," the sportswriters say. "That's Bob Nutting's money. It's not coming out of your pocket."

We beg to differ. Because a major league team is, in a sense, community property, the money does, in a sense, come out of our pockets. And, really, isn't it naïve to suggest costs like this won't get passed along to the fans? Have you tried to buy a beer at PNC Park lately?

Now, this is not to denigrate Matt Morris. By all accounts, Matt Morris conducted himself with humility, honor, grace and dignity during his brief career with the Pirates. His teammates praised his willingness to help them any way he could. He just couldn't pitch any longer.

Too bad for him, and even worse for the Pirates' new front office team, which inherited Morris from the inept, hapless and clueless regime of former general manager Dave Littlefield. When the San Francisco Giants were desperately trying to find a taker for Morris at last season's trade deadline and by all accounts were more than willing to pay a substantial portion of his substantial salary just to get rid of him, Littelefield swooped in and saved the day.

For the Giants.

Littlefield not only agreed to take on Morris's entire contract, he threw in a player (Rajai Davis) from the Pirates' roster. Now, Morris is gone, and the Pirates are stuck paying off his $10 million salary, plus the $1 million buyout.

So, although curmudgeonly local sportswriters (Ron Cook; Bob Smizik) tell fans it's not our money, and that we shouldn't care -- well, in a way, it is our money, and we most certainly do care.

We don't like the idea that our team got fleeced, that our buffoon of a general manager got suckered, that our team is mired in a 16^th straight losing season, and that our team is out more than $11 million it could have spent on scouting, player development and, say, oh, the drafting of uber-prospect Matt Wieters, who is positively tearing it up in the minors for Baltimore, instead of Littlefield's choice, Daniel Moskos, who most assuredly is not tearing it up in the minors for Pittsburgh.

For as bad we might feel as Pirates' fans, however, we can be glad we're not Giants' fans. Before the 2007 season, the Giants compounded their mistake of signing Morris to an overpriced contract by signing lefthand pitcher Barry Zito to a n even more obscenely overpriced, seven-year, $126 million contract. He was to be the team's ace.

As it turns out, Zito has been a Giant flop. With a record of 0-6 record and an ERA of 7.53, Zito has been relegated to the bullpen. There is legitimate speculation that his arm is dead. His career over. Kaput.

But that contract's not over, nor is the Giants' obligation to pay Zito. Nope, not by a long shot. Talk about sunk costs and dead money.

So, just imagine being a Giants' fan, and how they must feel. Of course, for them, it could have been even worse.

They could have been stuck with both Zito and Morris. They should have been, and would have been, if not for Dave Littlefield.

The Giants and their fans should send Littlefield a sincere "thank you" card for taking Morris off their hands. And a second card, too, for drafting pitcher Matt Lincoln (who promptly got hurt, naturally, in keeping with the pattern of pitchers chosen by Littlefield in the first round of the amateur draft) in 2006 instead of star pitcher Tim Lincecum, who is being described in San Francisco as "a modern-day Steve Carlton," for cryin' out loud (the legendary Carlton, a former Phillie, is a Hall of Famer).

So, to re-cap: Dave Littlefield not only cost the Pirates $11 million+ by engineering the trade for Matt Morris; he also passed on the Ruthian Matt Wieters (in favor of Daniel Moskos); and he also passed on the Steve Carlton-like Tim Lincecum (in favor of Matt Lincoln).

Yup, as Pirates fans, we have every right to feel bad. Still, how pathetic must it be to live as Giants' fans … and have Pirates' fans taking pity on them?

Then again, they do have the "modern-day Steve Carlton." And we have Matt Lincoln. Somewhere. In our farm system. Somewhere?

At least he's not Barry Zito.

Life is good.

More and more ...

Some interesting new Steelers (Rucker, Legursky, Bryant and Woods are undrafted free agents who just might have a chance, and a half-decent one at that) ...

• Another tall receiver for Big Ben: At his school's pro day earlier this spring, wide receiver Micah Rucker of Eastern Illinois had an excellent workout: At 6-6, 221 pounds, he ran a 4.47 40, had a vertical jump of 39 inches and performed 20 bench press repetitions at 225 pounds. Rucker finished the 2007 season with 777 receiving yards and nine touchdowns on 55 receptions. A third-team All-American, Rucker had 104 receptions, 22 touchdowns and 1,743 yards during his two-year Eastern Illinois career after transferring from the University of Minnesota. Here are some comparisons with higher-profile receivers:
  

1. Plaxico Burress: Height: 6.5.06, Weight: 233, 40 time on MSU pro day: 4.56, Vert: 33inch, Broad Jump: 9’7”
2. Limas Sweed: Height: 6.4.06, Weight: 212, 40 time at the Combine: 4.48 (4.5 at his pro day), Vert: 35inch at combine (37.5inch at his pro day), Broad Jump: 10’8"
   
3. Micah Rucker: Height: 6'6". Weight: 221. 40 time on EIU pro day: 4.47. Vertical leap: 39 inches. 20 bench press reps at 225 pounds.

• Marshall center Doug Legursky, who was on the JPPB pre-draft radar, says the Steelers plan to work him at guard, along with center, his position at Marshall. "Pittsburgh has been in contact a lot and I've watched a lot of their film all through college. I think their line fits my style well. It's the best fit and it was the best offer. Everything fell right in." The "right fit" includes shifting Legursky to guard from center. He played both with the Thundering Herd, but primarily was a center and was an All Conference USA selection at the position. At 6-foot-3 and 300-plus pounds, Legursky's athleticism best will be utilized at guard at the next level. "Right now they're looking at me more as a guard and a backup center going in," Legursky said. "I'm going to be working hard to earn the respect of the veterans and coaches and find my way to the top."

• Wide receiver Dorien Bryant, from Purdue, looks like he will compete at the slot receiver poistion.

• Donovan Woods, a linebacker who led Oklahoma State in tackles last season with 82 total, six tackles for loss, two sacks, an interception, and two forced fumbles, and also was the Defensive MVP in Oklahoma State's 49-33 win over Indiana in the Insight Bowl. Woods, who is 6-2, 235 pounds, also played quarterback and safety during his Cowboy career. Several teams had shown interest in Woods who tested well on the OSU Pro Day, but it was the Steelers that employ a 3-4 defense that made the strong move to sign the former Millwood High School star from Oklahoma City.

Over at DraftGuys.com, here is what they had to say about Limas Sweed and Tony Hills, both of whom are from the University of Texas.

"Anyone who's heard me on the Audible or stood within 50 feet of me at any bar in Austin knows I consider Sweed an overrated wideout who tends to fade from the ball, plays mechanically, seldom gets separation, and can get pushed around for a player his size."

"But at the end of the 2nd? He's well worth it. By all accounts, he's a great kid who works hard and wants to be great. And he got better every season at Texas. Combine his physical talent with that work ethic and you've got someone to build on. I didn't feel Sweed merited the first round pick status most folks wanted to bestow upon him, but this is value for the Steelers. He's the jump-ball red zone threat they lack and will learn the craft from Hines Ward."

"Tony Hills was tremendously undervalued in this draft. He only allowed a single sack in 2007 despite his QB's struggles with quick passes, and he thumped opponents for 68 pancakes. Is he a tear-your-face-off guy like Lichtensteiger? Heck no. But is he *that* much different from Bears' first-rounder Chris Williams? Not at all. He's also very active in children's charities and should be one of the team's finest public citizens. The Steelers' draft has to be graded as at least an A- so far."

At least.

This is good, very good ...

We are absolutely okay with this pick. Who wouldn't be? Uh, except for, say, Najeh Davenport? Carey Davis?

Yes, it is a hoary cliche, but, yes, we were stunned to see Rashard Mendenhall still available at 1.23. Needless to say, there were some, shall we say, curious, selections earlier in the day.

Yes, we get it. We understand that the Bears need help on the offensive line, and we really like Chris Williams. In fact, we were kind of hoping he might fall all the way to the Steelers, although it seemed unlikely.

It seemed even more unlikely that Mendenhall would fall to the Steelers, let alone get past the Bears. Even before the draft, we thought the Bears would be crazy to pass on Medenhall, and we still can't believe they did.

Carolina, too. Philadelphia. Arizona. By all rights, Mendenhall should have been a top-15 pick. But he is a perfect Steeler. This guy has "Steeler" written all over him. A perfect fit.

Limas Sweed in the second round? Lucky, lucky, lucky day. Unbelievable. We had reservations about taking him in the first round but never thought he would last all the way to pick No. 53. No-brainer.

Great draft. Yes, there are still many holes to fill. But no complaints with these two picks. None at all. Unless you're Najeh Davenport.

By the way ...

Note to Jim Wexell: Get over your infatuation with Gosder Cherilus.

If Gosder Cherilus was so good, he wouldn't have been stuck at RIGHT tackle until his senior season. He would have been playing at LEFT tackle, which is where college teams put their best OTs.

And when the Boston College coaching staff finally moved Cherilus to left tackle, he struggled mightily. He is a right tackle, and a right tackle only. He has no "position flexibility."

He does not fit Mike Tomlin's criteria for an offensive lineman who can play at multiple spots along the offensive line.

We don't see the Steelers selecting Gosder Cherilus at 1.23.

Here we go, Steelers, here we go ...

When the Steelers go on the clock tomorrow, they will have some tough choices. On Wednesday, we predicted the team will trade down to add draft picks, some of whom might be spent on players such as the ones we listed in one of yesterday's posts. That would be one way to go, and it could be a very good way to go.

Another way to go would be to pick the best player available. Ed Bouchette's latest mock draft predicts Jonathan Stewart, the talented running back from Oregon.

Here at Joey Porter's Pit Bulls, we could see a case for Stewart, but we believe running back is not the Steelers' most pressing need. On the other hand, you'd hate to pass on a rare talent like Stewart, if he's available. Yet again, however, we're more than a tad concerned about Stewart's injury history and current health status (he is still in a walking cast).

We're even more concerned about the defense: Age and lack of depth on the defensive line; the prospect of James Farrior becoming an unrestricted free agent after the 2008 season; and all kinds of issues in the secondary, particularly at the safety position, which we detailed in some depth in posts on Wednesday and Thursday.

For those reasons, we believe the Steelers should strongly consider selecting one of four defensive players, with North Carolina DE Kentwan Balmer and Miami safety Kenny Phillips at the top of our list. We've previously explained in some detail why Balmer or Phillips would make sense for the Steelers in the first round. It's a close call, even if Mel Kiper projects Phillips will drop all the way into the second round, and most Steelers' fans would say we don't need a safety.

It may be a moot point. Balmer may well go in the top 20. He should. And, notwithstanding what Kiper says, there's a decent chance that Phillips will be gone by the time the Steelers pick at 1.23.

The Washington Redskins, still reeling from the murder of All-Pro safety Sean Taylor last year, may select Phillips at 1.21. The Dallas Morning News reports that the Dallas Cowboys have Phillips on their radar at 1.22 but are more likely to go in another direction with that pick. Still, the Cowboys reportedly would love to see him still on the board when their second first-round pick comes along at 1.28, shortly before the New York Giants, their division rival and Super Bowl champion, go on the clock at 1.32. The Giants need a safety who can step in and play now.

By all accounts, Phillips will do just that.

The Dallas Morning News does an excellent job profiling numerous prospects, including Stewart and Phillips, and providing comments from their respective position coaches. Here is what Phillips' position coach, Miami secondary coach Wesley McGriff, had to say about Phillips:

"The first thing I noticed (upon arriving at Miami last spring) is he's the best safety I've ever coached. And the next thing was that he could be really special with some fundamental and technique work. He had the size, speed, attitude and intellect. With a little work, he could be something else. ...The similarities between Kenny and Brandon (Meriweather, another safety at Miami and a first-round pick by the Patriots in 2007) is that they're both playmakers and you look at both, they are natural safeties, and they're smart; I thought Meriweather was a little more athletic, but he was a little smaller than Kenny. With Kenny's size and speed, he's just as good a safety. What we did with him last year, he played both in the boundary and field in coverage. We'd put him in a spot where the offense would attack.

"He might have been our best player on defense, and he was certainly our best player on the back end, so we put him in position to affect the game. He had the intellect to do a lot of things. We moved him around and gave him the freedom to go to the boundary or the field, depending on where he thought the offense would attack us. He was that smart, he knew where to go, and could switch on the fly.

"He's a sure tackler in space, and could diagnose plays quickly to get to the ball. ... He was a tremendous leader. His demeanor, in the meeting room, here's a guy going into his third year, and he took notes like a true freshman looking to get on the field, and that made guys step up. And in practice, talented as he was, guys like him might cut corners, but he didn't. He didn't need reps, but he'd work just as hard on every practice snap as anyone, and he'd get upset when we'd take him out in practice. That showed the guys that everyone needed to work hard. He wasn't so vocal, that came by example. ... We wanted to match him up on the best inside receiver, and that was because he was our best cover safety. In our blitz packages, he'd match up one-on-one on the inside, just find that guy's jersey number. Against Florida State, he was on Preston (Parker). And we repped him at corner in practice.

"He could go in and play corner for you right now. He has great cover skills. He may not have that extra step in closing speed. But he plays fast, and he's aware of what's around him, and that makes up for that step. ... He's a sure tackler, a good open-field tackler. Now, he's not going to give you that thunderous hit. But when the ballcarrier gets there, he's going to be there to make the tackle. He took pride in that. I remember against Georgia Tech, I had him down for a missed tackle, and I had to go back and show him on tape where it was. He was that upset that I had to prove it to him. He had that desire. ... I think when makes he makes contact, he needs to drive his feet more, and play lower. As far as fundamentals and technique, he needs to be playing with a lower pad level. That could be the difference between him being good and great - Playing with more pad level and when he strikes, he needs to uncoil. He's a tackler, I'd like to see him as more of a hitter. ... He can flip his hips, and come out of his breaks, he has it to play corner. He's really agile. ... He should be a free safety.

"Whatever team drafts him will upgrade their roster immediately. He watches a ton of tape, has a passion for the game, you're not going to find too many mistakes. He'll study. He's ready out of the box to play. ... He's a great kid, one of those young men, when you get a phone call and something's wrong, you know it's not Kenny. He's a great guy, and he had no problems. He never missed class, never missed a study hall, never did anything wrong. ... I think Kenny took pride in being better than previous guys to come through here. He wouldn't say it publicly, but his motivation is to match or be better than the safeties that have been here. He didn't want to let that legacy down."

That assessment jibes with just about every other perspective on Phillips that we've read.

Jonathan Stewart sounds intriguing, too, despite his injury history, as does Kentwan Balmer. So, too, does Antoine Cason, the nifty cornerback from the University of Arizona, and Chris Williams the impressive tackle from Vanderbilt (although we are convinced the Steelers plan to address the offensive line later, rather than sooner, in the draft).

Any of them would be excellent choices. We just think either Phillips or Balmer would be the best choices.

More details, here, from the Dallas Morning News.

We're Ready

If the Steelers stay put at 1.23, they should have a chance to draft a player to fill a specific need -- and they have plenty of needs, which is why it makes sense to trade down and add picks. As detailed in Wednesday's post, we believe the Steelers have very strong leverage for negotiating extremely favorable deals.

By trading down, we might miss out on guys like Jeff Otah and Gosder Cherilus, but we might improve our chances of adding some of the following players (in no particular order).

Owen Schmitt, FB, WVU, who pretty much never gets tackled for a loss.

Martin O'Donnell, G, Illinois, a pile-driving road grader who paved the way for Rashard Mendenhall and the Illini's productive, power running game.

John Greco, OT, Toledo, whom the Steelers brought in for a visit. Greco succeeded Nick Kaczur at left tackle at Toledo after Kaczur was drafted and went on to start for the New England Patriots. Tough guy who can play any position on the line.

Red Bryant, NT, Texas A&M: Arguably the most effective run-stuffer in college football.

Andre Caldwell, WR, Florida: Often described as a faster, quicker Hines Ward.

Donnnie Avery, WR, Houston: With 4.28 speed, Avery caught 91 passes for 1,456 yards last season, including 17 plays of 20 or more yards. A poor man's DeSean Jackson.

Craig Steltz, S, LSU: A leader on the national championship team and a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, which is given to the nation's top defensive back.

Eric Young, T, Tennessee: Not as high on the draft radar as he should be because his senior season was cut short by a torn quad muscle that caused him to miss the final six games. Prior to the injury, he had registered 58 knockdowns with 11 touchdown-resulting blocks. He was rated the SEC's top offensive linemen with an 86.4% grade for blocking consistency, and was considered one of the most dominant position blockers in college football.

Dexter Jackson, WR, Appalachian State: He could be an ideal slot receiver in the mold of Antwaan Randle-el. Clocking 4.35 in the 40, Jackson averaged 22.9 yards per catch as a senior and lit up Michigan with touchdown receptions of 20 and 68 yards.

Kirk Barton, OT, Ohio State: Entrenched at RT for the Buckeyes since his freshman canmpaign, Barton is a battle-tested veteran who has competed at the highest level for several years. Not as much upside as Otah; but not much of a learning curve, either, with this guy.

Doug Legursky, C, Marshall, who can handle long-snapping as well as every-down center duties.

Cliff Avril, LB/DE, Purdue: Yet another in a long line of premier pass-rushers out of Purdue.

Corey Lynch, S, Appalachian State: A safety in the mold of John Lynch, although not quite as big a hitter. Known as a team leader and clutch player, he blocked the kick at the end of the Michigan game.

Ahtyba Rubin, DT/DE, Iowa State: Just nasty. That's all you need to know about this guy.

Kansas State WR Jordy Nelson: The consensus All-American shattered school and Big 12 Conference season records in 2007, hauling in 122 passes for 1,606 yards (13.2 avg.) and 11 touchdowns. He scored twice on five punt returns for 264 yards (52.8 avg.) and registered a school record 140 points. He hit on 2-of-4 passes for 45 yards and a pair of touchdowns, finishing with 1,863 all-purpose yards, an average of 155.25 per game.

In 36 games at Kansas State, Nelson started 32 contests. He ranks second in school history with 206 receptions for 2,822 yards (13.7 avg.) and is third in KSU annals with 20 touchdown grabs. He returned six punts for 267 yards (44.5 avg.) and three scores, as he also completed 3-of-6 passes for 73 yards and two touchdowns, adding seven tackles (six solo) on special teams.

In our defense ...

If the Steelers stay put at 1.23, Joey Porter's Pit Bulls believe the best options are the following players (if they are available, of course):

1. Kenny Phillips, S, Miami

2. Kentwan Balmer, DE, North Carolina

3. Quentin Groves, OLB, Auburn

4. Dan Connor, ILB, Penn State

All defense, we know. The team already signaled that it plans to address the offensive line later in the draft. Each and every wide receiver on the board has issues, limitations and question marks. RB Jonathan Stewart is still in a walking cast, which makes him another question mark, and no other RB has a first-round grade. No need for a QB or TE in the first round, so it's Defense. The team should add a cornerback sometime this weekend, and we like Arizona's Antoine Cason, but we believe any of the four players listed below would make more sense for the Steelers at this time.

Taking a closer look, in inverse order:

4. Dan Connor: We're concerned about what happens after the season when James Farrior becomes an unrestricted free agent. It would be great if the Steelers re-sign Farrior, the defensive captain and signal caller, but if he goes away … well, that's why Connor is on this list. That, plus he's a safe choice (you know what you're getting) and a deserving player, anyway. He's a first-round talent who is arguably every bit as good as (and maybe better than) Paul Posluszny.

3. Quentin Groves has had some medical issues but is healthy now. He could be an explosive pass rusher coming off the edge. We're not sure how would be in coverage or against the run. Still, dynamic pass rushers don't come along every day. As noted in last Saturday's post, we like Groves, a lot. If Farrior leaves via free agency, the Steelers could move James Harrison inside and have Groves and Lamarr Woodley on the flanks. We're still not convinced Lawrence Timmons will ever amount to much more than a role player, if that.

2. Kentwan Balmer has had notable success for only one year, so there may be a question as to whether he will continue that high level of play in the NFL. We like his chances. Playing at defensive tackle, he showed last year that he can provide a steady inside push. He has a lethal punch and his hands are lightning fast -- keys to getting off blocks. In the Steelers system, he would play defensive end. As noted in Monday's post, you could make a very strong case for Balmer.

At 6-5, 308, Balmer is an Aaaron Smith clone, and every bit as athletic. It's conceivable Balmer could start at end in place of Brett Keisel, freeing up Keisel to take better advantage of his athleticism in some sort of new, hybrid-rover position. That probably wouldn't happen this year, however. This year, Balmer would step right into the defensive line rotation, and he would surely bolster the run defense, which sprang alarming leaks late last season.

1. Kenny Phillips is probably the safest choice of any player that might fall to the Steelers at 1.23 (although we suspect the Redskins might grab him at 1.21). As noted in Tuesday's post, the Steelers have almost no depth at the safety position.

Phillips is the best player at his position in college football. He's been the best player at his position at every level of play all his life. He has all the skills and attributes you could want in a safety. As is the case with Connor, Phillips would be a safe choice -- you know what you're getting.

No doubt about it: After Ryan Clark went down last year, the defense struggled. Yet at this point, we're not sure we can count on Clark to return or stay healthy for a full season; or Troy Polamalu, either, for that matter. We're not writing off Anthony Smith. There's a place for him on this team, absolutely. We just believe Phillips would dramatically improve the overall defense. Teaming the best safety in college football with the best safety in the NFL: It could only help.