The Weekend Recap

It has been a wild run the past couple days in Pittsburgh, lots and lots of little yet exciting things worth talking about

-As I mentioned, I attended my final game in the Oakland Zoo Saturday afternoon against the UConn Huskies. I already talked at length about that game, but it bears repeating: This was one of the best games I've ever been to. The only others I can think of that were even in the same stratosphere were last year's WVU thriller and the 2006 game against Notre Dame when Chris Quinn exploded all over a porous Pitt D for 37 points before the Panthers won it in double OT. Those two games were thrilling because they went down to the wire and had incredibly exciting endings (multiple endings in the ND game's case). This one was thrilling more because of the raucous crowd (the loudest I have ever heard it for an entire game) and the incredibly high level of play.

-I've said it before and I'll say it again: This is as good of a squad as Pitt can ever really hope to have. Sure, the incoming recruit talent level keeps going up, but this squad is perfectly constructed for a big run this month. A spectacular point guard, a dangerous scorer from the wing and a bullish inside man capable of taking over a game at any time lead the charge. They are supported by a defense-first, rebounding grinder who can guard anyone, a slashing 2 guard who is an absolute lockdown defender, two athletic bench guys who can step up at any time and take over starter's minutes and a sharshooting backup guard who can drill it from long range. If this team doesn't break that Sweet 16 barrier (and for the record I think that they easily will) then what Pitt squad will?

-The Big East tournament gets fired up this week, and I really couldn't be any more excited about it. I'll even go so far as to watch the opening round games on the Internet on Tuesday. Should be a grand old time.

-I know I wrote a column and updated it yesterday and everything with this information, but how in the hell does Levance Fields only make it to the third team on the All Big East squads? That is an absolute joke and shows how stupid the Big East coaches really are. Even worse, TWO point guards made it ahead of him. A.J. Price and Jonny Flynn both got outplayed up and down the court by Fields when their teams met. They couldn't carry Levance's jockstrap. That is just downright stupidity and I feel like Calhoun and Boeheim are somehow the root of this conspiracy, though that might just be because of my blinding hatred of both. What a joke.

-While we are on the subject, how dumb is it that the teams are chosen with no regard whatsoever for the positions on the floor? That's insanity. The All Big East first team has a center, 2 power forwards, 2 small forwards and a shooting guard. You know what would happen if that team sat down one of those guys (there are 6 on the first team) and played Pitt or UConn or Louisville in some sort of video game simulation? The All Big East team would get crushed because THEY HAVE NO POINT GUARD!!!! They would have to move McNeal to the point, play Terrance Williams at the 2 and would probably sit down Luke Harangoy (no I didn't misspell his name, I spelled it that way because there is no D in that guy). The second and third team are structured the same way with 2 point guards a shooting guard a small forward and a power forward who really isn't a power forward. Why not structure the All Conference squads at least sort of like a real time with a point guard, a shooting guard, a small forward, and 2 power forwards/ centers. Why did I structure it as two power forward/ centers? Because there really is only like 4 centers in the whole league, the other teams just start power forwards at the center position. So considering that, here's what I think the teams should look like:

First Team
1 Levance Fields
2 Jerel McNeal
3 Terrance Williams
4 DeJuan Blair
5 Hasheem Thabeet

Second Team
1 Jonny Flynn
2 Wesley Matthews
3 Sam Young
4 Dante Cunningham
5 Luke Harangody

Third Team
1 A.J. Price
2 Earl Clark
3 Da'Sean Butler
4 Jeff Adrien
5 Greg Monroe

Now don't you feel much better about these teams than the other, mismatched squads? I know I do.

-Things are ho-humming along down in Bradenton. One of the stories I read in the paper the other day talked about the Pirates ideally looking to put Nyjer Morgan in the leadoff spot in the lineup. The lineup would likely look a little something like this:
LF Morgan
2B Sanchez
CF McLouth
C Doumit
1B LaRoche
RF Moss
3B LaRoche
SS Wilson
P Maholm

Ugh. I don't even want Morgan to start, let alone get to the plate more often than anyone else on the roster. I was going to go ahead and write something about this, and if they do end up putting Morgan in the leadoff spot, I probably will anyway, but Bucs Dugout beat me to it and said everything and more that I wanted to say. I'm not going to repeat him (at least not yet) so check his stuff out if you want to see what I mean.

-Pitt football released their schedule for the 2009 season, and it seems like a solid slate. There are not 1 not 2 but 3 Friday games, but thankfully they are all away. Personally, I loathe the Friday games and think they diminish what the Big East has tried to accomplish the past few years, but whatever. 1 of the Friday games is the day after Thanksgiving against WVU and I have no problem with that, as that is kind of a cool day for a game. There are 7 home games on the schedule in all, and for once, half the home slate isn't in August and September. They get the token creampuff Youngstown State on September 5 to open the season and then get Navy on September 19. They then get a few weeks away from Heinz Field and play UConn October 10, South October 24, Syracuse November 7, Notre Dame (!) November 14 and Cincinnati December 5. The non-conference schedule also includes road trips to Buffalo (uhm what?) and North Carolina State (solid).

-The Steelers lost Bryant McFadden yesterday to the Arizona Cardinals. Can't say I am surprised, as B-Mc is a solid corner in a market that loves to overpay for corners. However, I was surprised by the contract. McFadden got just a 2 year 10 million dollar contract. I really am surprised that is the best he could do on the open market. I was beginning to get a bit optimistic that maybe he might return, as many teams have already spent a bundle this offseason and somehow McFadden had been passed over and that the Steelers might get him back at a reasonable price. While I don't think 5 million a year is reasonable, I find myself wondering what the Steelers' best offer for McFadden was. I mean what would he have rather signed for: 2 years 10 million with 5 guaranteed or say, 4 years 16 million with 8 mil guaranteed? I don't know what he would have chosen, but the total package in the second option certainly has its upside.

-Speaking of Steelers off-season stuff, here's an interview to check out over at Whatcha Talkin Bout with massive Steelers tackle Max Starks. Definitely worth a listen. There are actually quite a few audio clips over there worth checking out.

-There was an incredibly exciting game of puck yesterday afternoon between the Pens and one of their biggest archrivals, the Washington Capitals. It was a tremendous game, and it was especially vindicating to watch Sidney Crosby steal the show and be the star of the day after the issues last game between Sid and Ovechkin. AO was his usual overly aggressive and pompous self on the ice, and at times I think that hurts the Caps more than it helps. It was also good to see the Pens storm into Washington and get the W and for Sid to be the one to rub it in their faces after the Caps fans tried their best to taunt him. I just love it when fairweather fans like those Caps losers try to act like they are all hardcore. Please. I've been to games in D.C. and seen countless others on TV and this is probably one of the very rare times I've ever seen the Caps fan outnumber Pens fans. And it goes well beyond the ice rink. Remember the absolute no-show by the Skins fans when the Steelers turned their gigantic stadium into Heinz Field south last November? That was tremendous, and spoke volumes about the "support" Washington fans give their teams.

-I've turned into a scoreboard-watching, standing-checking addict the past week or so, and expect that to continue. Coming into this week, here's how things look right now with just 15 games to go for the Pens this season. Here's how things are shaping up right now.
Obviously the Pens have played 1 more game than any of the 3 teams ahead of them, but they also have played the same amount of games as the team 1 point behind them and they are 3 points ahead of Buffalo who has played 1 less game. So they are unquestionably sitting in 8th place right now. That's pretty solid considering where things were a few weeks back.

-We'll finish things up with a bit of a personal anecdote: I'm on spring break this week, and because I have no money and need to interview for some jobs, I'm not in Florida or Mexico or anything. Instead I'm in a weird flex situation between Oakland and my parents' house. It is definitely a pretty strange existence. Oakland is downright deserted, and to tell you the truth I really enjoy it this way. I was at the bar Saturday night and it was maybe 50% of what it typically is and I figure I might be the only person in the house when I head to Hemingway's or Peter's tonight.

So instead of getting hammered every night and running around South Beach with a bunch of similarly aged people on Spring Break, I am laying low in Oakland until I have to head to Philly Wednesday for an interview. I have nothing else to do, so I've started doing some reading. I am now working on Slaughterhouse-Five. I've wanted to read this for some time and am enjoying it so far, though it is definitely a bit strange. Anyone out there have any thoughts on it? Let me know if you do.

News and Links

I've been in a posting mood the past couple days, so figured I'd put out a batch of links that I've been compiling to finish up a busy day.

First a few minor news tidbits going around the Burgh recently that haven't been brought up on TRS yet:-The Steelers slapped the Ol' Franchise Tag on Max Starks. This was a bit of a surprise to see, personally. After spending the 08 season under the transition tag, I find it a little hard to believe that they will allow Starks to spend the 2009 season also under a tag. I do think its a very smart move to tag him, as no other team will bother negotiating with him now and the Steelers will now have time to bang out a long-term deal with Mad Max. I think that is the end-result here. Starks earned it. He was very, very good this past season at left tackle. I'm not certain I trust him with a 6 or 7 year deal, but 3 or 4 years and the gaping holes at the other O-Line spots, I could live with that.

-For the first time in over 20 years, Pitt hoops has a McDonald's All-American coming to campus in the form of the superb recruit Dante Taylor. This is the link to the official Mickey D's All-American site, so you have to click to the Players page and listen to Dick Vitale more than once. I am truly sorry for that, but I wanted to give you the official page for your own privilege.

-Just watched the Pens pick up a W over the Canadiens. Very impressed by the work of the Gonch tonight. I can't say this emphatically enough: That was a HUGE win. The Pens are at 62 points and still in 10th and 4 points off of the final playoff spot, but two of the teams within striking distance are in an absolute free-fall. The Habs are just 5 points away and the Rangers are 6 points away. Both teams are playing worse puck than the Pens right now. We need to keep this momentum up and get a few wins in a row, though or its not going to matter how the other teams do. It was definitely good to see the Gonch already looking damned good out there. It went a lot deeper than just his game-winning goal. He's already playing better than any other D-man on the roster.

-During the post-game I just heard them report Darren Dreger had Ryan Whitney among his ten most likely trade candidates. I find it a bit hard to believe there is that much interest in him right now. There's no way you can rely on him much now given his inconsistencies and he is making quite a bit of money. Maybe a team looking ahead to the future makes the deal hoping for a return to form for Whitters next year, as the guy is undeniably talented and has looked a bit better to me the past few games.

-I also wanted to comment on the people piling on Whitney these days. Is he playing great hockey right now? Abso-freaking-lutely not. But it ain't anywhere near his fault this team is struggling. Nor is it all Satan's fault either, and I will never understand the Crosby criticisms. One guy who I think is playing dreadfully awful hockey right now, and that no one is mentioning for some bizarre reason, is Max Talbot. I don't know what the hell happened to him, but he's been bad all season, and I can't figure out why no one mentions this. He's supposed to be a scrappy, two-way forward who can add some offensive ability and kill penalties right? Well are you aware in 52 games this season he has just 14 points (7 Goals 7 Assists) and is a -13? I will admit his offensive game has turned around a bit lately, but that doesn't excuse that he was a non-entity on offense for the first 40 or so games of the season.
-Bob Smizik has an excellent post about his All-Time Pitt Teams. He lists 4 total squads, giving us his 20 best Pitt players. Obviously I have nowhere near the knowledge of Pitt basketball history that Smizik does, but I'd be upset if I didn't put in my two cents. So here are my All-Pitt first team and All-Pitt second team based only on the Pitt teams that I have watched (roughly 1996-Present)First Team
G Brandin Knight
G Vonteego Cummings
F Ricardo Greer
F Sam Young
F DeJuan Blair
Second Team
G Carl Krauser
G Levance Fields
F Jaron Brown
F Chevon Troutman
C Aaron Gray

-If you haven't checked it out, swing by Sean's Ramblings for his Pittsburgh Sports Blog Tournament and cast your vote. Yours truly is not a part of it as I've only been around a few months and still need to prove myself. Kind of like the NCAA Football teams that aren't allowed to make a bowl their first couple seasons in I-A or Football Bowl Series or whatever the hell it's called. It's a very cool idea by Sean and I look forward to seeing it play out. I'd say the Pensblog is probably the UNC-like heavyweight favorite and is probably my pick if I were to fill out a bracket. They are just too good. The Valparaiso of this tournament (the Sleeper) in my mind is either "Where Have You Gone, Andy Van Slyke" (don't underestimate the inferiority complex of Pirate fans in this town and WHYGAVS is a great blog), or "Empty Netters". I hope voters go more with which blogs they truly like as opposed to which is the more well-known or higher-seeded. There were actually a few blogs on there I'd never heard of and was very, very pleasantly surprised when I went to check them out.

-Thanks to Raise the Jolly Roger for this one which combines two of my favorite things. Jamie Dixon visits the Pittsburgh Pirates in Spring Training while on a recruiting trip.

-This one is thanks to PSaMP. ESPN recently unveiled its Mt. Rushmore of Pennsylvania sports. I personally find this whole thing stupid and arbitrary. I'm not even sure how they could narrow it down to 4 and be convinced they have the right 4. But like PSaMP said, maybe its just to justify Rick Reilly's monster contract. It'd make more sense to have Mt. Rushmore by city. although that'd be tough. What do we think the Pittsburgh Mt. Rushmore might look like? PSaMP makes a decent point about differentiating between people from the area and people who played in the area. Of people who played in the area, I'd say the Mt. Rushmore is maybe: Mario Lemieux (Duh), Roberto Clemente, Joe Greene and Tony Dorsett. But I'd understand and could even make arguments for Willie Stargell, Terry Bradshaw, Hines Ward, Jack Lambert, Jack Ham, Mel Blount and Honus Wagner. I think that's about it though. I chose Dorsett because he had the double dip of being from the Burgh and playing in the Burgh. He seems like he meant an awful lot to people when he played at Pitt being the hometown boy. Any other thoughts out there?

A Look At The Steelers Offseason

Not even a week has gone by since the Steelers were victorious in Super Bowl XLIII and brought the Lombardi Trophy back to its rightful home in the Burgh, and already myself and countless others are looking ahead to the Steelers offseason.

It may seem a little drastic and I've heard from more than a few people that I'm way too obsessed with the Steelers and should just sit back and enjoy this title when I've brought this topic up the last couple days, but its a very relevant topic right now.

Plus, what else am I supposed to write about? The Pens may be coming of a nice W last night and the Panthers b-ball just drilled a mediocre DePaul squad, but I just don't see a whole lot there thats worth writing about. So this is what I'm doing instead.

Unrestricted Free Agents: QB Charlie Batch, QB Byron Leftwich, OT Marvel Smith, OT Max Starks, G Chris Kemoeautu, OT Trai Essex, WR Nate Washington, CB Bryant McFadden, DE Orpheus Roye, LB Andre Frazier, LB Keyaron Fox, CB Fernando Bryant, P Mitch Berger

Restricted Free Agents: OT Willie Colon, S Anthony Smith, TE Sean McHugh

So let's break down these guys' chances of returning player-by-playerByron Leftwich: Next to zero shot of Letwich returning I would imagine. He's made it clear that he wants a shot to at least compete for a starting job next season, and with several team having god-awful QB situations I think Leftwich will likely head elsewhere even though I'm sure the Steelers would love to have him back. Verdict: Leftwich signs elsewhere for a short-term deal for 1.5-2 million or so guaranteed with some incentives and the ability to compete for a starting job.

Charlie Batch: It's not 100% that Batch will be back, but it's gotta be close. Despite a few opportunities over the years to leave, Charlie never bothered even looking anywhere else for a team that might have a less certain QB situation. It won't cost the Steelers an arm and a leg either, and prior to this season many thought Batch to be one of the steadier QB's in football. What is worth noting, though, is that Dennis Dixon is on the fast track to becoming a wildcat-style backup for the offense at some point, so anything more than a 1 year deal for Batch seems unlikely, especially because he is 34 years old. Verdict: Batch signs with the Steelers for 1 year and 1.5 million or so.

OT Marvel Smith: For the second straight season and third time in four years Marvel missed time due to injury, this year playing just 5 games. That's just not acceptable for a starting left tackle. He will be 31 before next year starts, and I think he might be done. Unless he's willing to take a huge paycut and come back with no starting job guarantee I don't see Smith returning. In fact, even if he is willing to take those compromises he likely won't be back. Smith doesn't want to return to Pittsburgh as a backup and is forced to accept a small deal for a vet elsewhere.OT Max Starks: A year ago I was appalled to learn that the Steelers were putting the transition tag on Starks and paying him a small fortune to be a backup. Now, it seems like one of the best moves they could have made. Starks played very well at left tackle and considering the Steelers struggles to put together a line last year, they need to do everything they can to bring him back, even if it means signing him to a large, risky contract. Verdict: The Steelers don't want to lose Starks and have to overspend a bit to keep him. I say he gets around 7 million a year for 4 years. I'll guess 4 years and 28 million dollars.

G Chris Kemoeautu: Kemo has that nasty streak that made Alan Faneca such a feared pull blocker for so many years, but that's where the comparisons end between the all-world Faneca and his replacement. Kemo committed too many penalties and we saw too many games where rushers up the middle overwhelmed our interior. Still, he was solid enough and is still young enough that he will at least merit consideration. Verdict: I think Kemo's place with the Steelers will be at least partially determined by what happens with the other O-Linemen. It seems unlikely that the Steelers want too much turnover no matter how mediocre the line was. He ends up getting a little better offer elsewhere and takes it for a couple million a year.

OL Trai Essex: Mehh...hard to get too concerned over Essex. He has done next to nothing as a Steeler, and assuming the Steelers are able to procure a few linemen in the draft I highly doubt the Steelers are willing to pay for him. Verdict: He gets his walking papers.

WR Nate Washington: After watching Limas Sweed bumble and stumble his way through the latter half of the season it's safe to assume that the Steelers aren't going to be willing to go into the 09 season with Sweed as their third receiver. There is a chance they may have to look elsewhere for a new third receiver, though, as I'm Nate's visibility in the playoff run may cause a team to overbid for him. Verdict: The possibility of Nate getting big bucks elsewhere is overrated, as I'm not sure there are that many teams out there willing to spend big bucks for a receiver like Nate. The Steelers make him a reasonable offer and he takes it. I'd say about 3 years for 2-2.5 million a year. Some may say that's not enough, but comparable players like D.J. Hackett, Isaac Bruce, and Bryant Johnson got similar deals and maybe even less a year ago. I think most teams figure they can do just as well through the mid-round draft picks to find complementary receivers.

CB Bryant McFadden: McFadden had a very nice season for the Steelers and finally took over the starting corner job he'd long been angling for. However, the Steelers will still have savvy vet Deshea Townsend and emerging talent William Gay on the roster next year, so McFadden will be an interesting prospect. Verdict: Because of his place as a starter on the vaunted Steelers D McFadden gets a big offer from another team and ends up taking it. I think he could get 5 or 6 years and as much as 6-7 million a year. There's no way the Steelers could or would match that. It may seem like a lot, but consider what guys like DeAngelo Hall (7 years 70 million), Marcus Trufant (6 years 50.2 million), Nate Clements (8 years 80 million), and Asante Samuel (6 years 50.7 million) have gotten in free agency lately. At worst McFadden is just a level below those guys, and is probably about as good (just not as hyped) as Trufant and Hall. Is 6 years 40 million or more so hard to believe? I think not.

DE Orpheus Roye: The Steelers HAVE to start getting younger on the D-Line, and I think that finally starts this offseason. Verdict: Roye is just about finished I think and, at best, is brought back as training camp fodder, but I don't think even that happens.

LB Andre Frazier: Frazier has bounced on and off the Steelers roster the last few seasons, and contributed as a decent special teamer this past season. He won't be a high priority but they might make a token effort. Verdict: He doesn't get much attention from anyone on the market and re-signs with the Steelers on the cheap for a year and no guaranteed spot on the roster.

LB Keyaron Fox: Fox waited around last offseason and all he could get was 1 year and the veteran minimum. That turned out to be a pretty good bargain as Fox was a Special Teams demon for the Steelers. Verdict: Fox signs back with the Steelers but still pretty cheap and competes with Frazier and others like Patrick Bailey for the backup linebacker/ special teams ace positions.

P Mitch Berger: Daniel Sepulveda will hopefully be ready to roll next season. Bad news for Berger. Verdict: I suppose he could be brought back as insurance and training camp fodder in case Sepulveda has a setback, but let's pray that isn't necessary.

OT Willie Colon: There has been much discussion about the smaller Colon moving inside to guard at some point in his career. I think that is his best shot to stick in Pittsburgh, as I just can't foresee the Steelers bringing him back to play tackle. I also think either he or Kemo will be gone. No way both come back. Verdict: Because Colon is a free agent, the Steelers have a bit more control over his situation. They match his best offer, for a couple million or so, and retain him but with no certain starting spot for him.

S Anthony Smith: Prior to the 07 season Smith was seen as the obvious heir to the free safety spot. However he has had a drastic drop-off since then and he is dangerously close to going down the drain as an undisciplined draft bust. Verdict: Smith is a restricted free agent and while he may not bring much interest from anyone else, the Steelers don't have any interest in him, either.

TE Sean McHugh: McHugh was used as an H-back type of player this season. And he did the job pretty well, well enough to merit consideration to return if the price is right. Verdict: The Steelers figure to offer McHugh a minimum salary for a year, maybe two. If he expects anything more than that he figures to be out.

Free Agent Targets:
Offensive Line is the big need for the Steelers, but the Steelers typically have been reluctant to spend much at any big holes in the free agent market. They will likely make a run at a few players, but no one they go after will be elite-level players, especially if they end up with Starks. A quick glance at the free agent class yields a few potential players: Guards Cooper Carlisle, Duke Preston, and Floyd Womack and tackle Jon Stinchcomb. Not saying the Steelers will go after any of these guys, as what they decide to do with their current roster and how they expect to fare in the NFL draft will determine that, but these are the types of guys we can expect. Nothing special, no Jeff Hartings, Pro-Bowl types here. Just middle-of-the-road guys who are probably comparable to Kemoeautu.

An underrated area they need to target, either in the draft or through Free Agency, is their defensive line. They have gotten very, very old there the past few seasons, and after some failed mid-round DL draft picks I think they may look to free agency instead this year. They will not go after anyone who is going to challenge for a starting spot though. Maybe someone like Atlanta's Jason Jefferson or Chauncey Davis or Baltimore's Dwan Edwards or Indy's Darrell Reid could be potential targets. Again, nothing special.

Draft Targets:
I think the Steelers have the same two spots they will address in the draft, D-Line and O-Line. Once they have those two spots at least partially addressed they will probably go with best-available player.

Like I said in my mock draft, the Steelers will likely be picking amongst offensive linemen like Duke Robinson, Alex Mack, Eben Britton, and Max Unger. Britton is the only offensive tackle among that group, though any of them could probably be shifted around to where the Steelers think they best fit.

In the second round, they could be picking for yet another O-Lineman or they could switch to the opposite Defensive Line. Along the OL, second round targets could be guys like the aforementione Unger and Robinson, William Beatty, James Meredith, Eric Wood, and Herman Johnson. The defensive linemen prospects we could see are Jarron Gilbert, Evander Hood, and Mitch King.

If the Steelers lose McFadden or Anthony Smith or Nate Washington those guys positions are also possible spots that could be filled. Corners Sean Smith, Darius Butler, and Mike Mickens, safeties Louis Delmas and Derek Pegues and receivers Derrick Williams, Kenny Britt, and Brian Robiskie are all second/third round targets we could see. Beyond the third round, its pretty much a guessing game.