In Honor of Valentine's Day, My Man-Crushes

After watching the Pitt hoops squad put together another win today over the middling Cincy squad that isn't yet ready to contend for the Big East, I'm just not sure I have it in me to write another "Sam Young is the man" or "Levance Fields is the best all-around point guard in college b-ball" or "Pitt's depth is what seperates them from past teams" post. I've written that enough this season, and Pitt didn't prove much of anything today that we didn't already know. A post like that seemed especially pointless because we'll have a real good idea about this Pitt squad after Monday night's showdown with UConn.

So instead I decided to go with a post that had at least a tiny bit of creativity and originality behind it. In honor of Valentine's Day, I put together my top Pittsburgh man-crushes. Don't judge me for it. These crushes are completely and totally heterosexual, they are just my infatuations with some of the many superb athletes in the Burgh.

10 James Harrison- Harrison is the ultimate underdog type of story. He's just an absolute beast on D as evidenced by his DPOY award and has a downright terrifying reputation as being one of the most ill-tempered people in football. He's just such a badass, you have to love him.9 Andrew McCutchen- I couldn't put together this list without at least including a Pirate on here somewhere. And while Cutch isn't technically a Bucco yet, he is the ultimate symbol of hope for this franchise. And in case you don't know, I'm always the optimist when it comes to the Pirates. Plus, this has to be the year he finally makes it to the show, especially with an incompetent like Nyjer Morgan playing left field.

8 Sam Young- Sam I Am has been an athletic marvel for 4 years at Pitt and will go down as one of the better scorers in school history (he holds the school single season record, is 10th in career points and has a good shot at cracking the top 5). He looks to have regained his swagger after some mid-season struggles and is playing terrific basketball right now. And did I mention he has a future in the NBA?

7 Hines Ward- How can you not love Hines Ward? He's the toughest wide receiver in football, is the most decorated receiver in Steeler history, is still putting up terrific numbers as his career has evolved into the form of a crafty veteran, and is almost universally adored by the massive Steeler Nation. And he's always smiling.

6 LeSean McCoy- Shady may not technically be a Pittsburgh athlete any longer, but I had to put him on here. He's one of the most dominant and incredible talents I've ever seen and if he doesn't evolve into a top-notch, 1000-yard rusher in the NFL I will be floored. The guy is a beast and carried Pitt football on his back to one of the biggest upsets in school history and the school's best season in 25 years despite an otherwise dreadful offense. So long Shady, you will be missed, dearly.

5 Troy Polamalu- Troy is one of the most unique and dynamic players in football. There isn't another defender who is quite like him. He changes the entire game of the offense just by dashing around like a mad man pre-snap. The signature long hair only adds to his legend. And when he gets the ball in his hands...look out.

4 Evgeni Malkin- Geno is just an absolute monster out on the ice. He is the best player in hockey, and I just don't see how you can make a winning argument for anyone else right now. The only reason he isn't higher is because he's been kind of a hard guy to connect with the last few seasons. He is starting to open up a bit but still has a ways to go. Still, its been good to at least get a glimpse of his personality in recent months.

3 DeJuan Blair- DeJuan is like the Hines Ward of college hoops. Always smiling, uses his physicality, passion and talent to overcome being a bit undersized, and it's next to impossible to hate him... unless you are playing against them that is. DeJuan gets a boost because of his local roots and because I can never remember a more beloved, more respected, and more connected college kid in the area. I imagine this is kind of what it was like when Dan Marino or Tony Dorsett were playing on their respective Pitt teams a few decades ago.

2 Sidney Crosby- Up until a few weeks ago, Sid would have almost certainly been numero uno on this list. His talent is remarkable, he is incredibly charismatic, is the face of not just his team but his league, and never seems to get shaken by the off-ice demands. He's also the biggest reason the Pens have enjoyed their incredible renaissance and has inspired incredible hope in this franchise and its fan base.1 Ben Roethlisberger- But with his second Super Bowl win a few 13 days ago there's just no way that I can deny Big Ben his rightful status as my number 1 man crush. Ben is the most unique QB in the NFL, a guy whose impact and play can't be quantified by the slightly antiquated NFL statistics. His ability to extend plays and take the right chances at the right time and his uncanny two-minute drill prowess is a sight to behold. I will mainain until my death that there isn't another QB in all of football that could have won the Super Bowl with this particular offense. For these reasons and for so many more Big Ben Roethlisberger is the ultimate man-crush. Not that's there anything wrong with that.Do you have a man crush? Let me know who it is in the comments below or by e-mailing me THREERIVERSPORTS@GMAIL.COM

Weekend Recap

Seemed like lots of little, yet notable things happened this weekend around the world of Pittsburgh sports. So instead of writing a few smaller posts or something like that, I decided to put all this stuff together in one mega-post bullet-point style.

Football-How 'bout that Pro Bowl.... I mean I'm assuming everyone else had a big Pro Bowl party and had all their buddies over to watch it and wagered heavily on the game and was completely absorbed by the bland, conservative, blitz-less style of play used in the game. Oh wait, that's all complete B.S. Did anyone even watch that snooze fest? If you did, let me know why that would be. Are you related to one of the players? Were you unbelievably sick and couldn't get out of bed and your remote broke? Did you fall asleep from the Pens disaster and then woke up with the Pro Bowl on? Are you Roger Goodell? These are the only circumstances I can imagine where you watched it.

Mom dressed them alike

-Do they really think that moving that Pro Bowl up two weeks to before the Super Bowl and playing it on the mainland is going to change a damn thing?

-It's being reported that Big Ben played the Super Bowl with broken ribs. If you've followed Ben's career at all you probably aren't too surprised to know he was injured, as his crazy physical style of play leads to him always being injured in one way or another. But even still... has anyone out there in Blog Land ever had broken ribs before? I broke a rib in high school playing basketball and it felt like my chest had imploded. It hurt to even get out of bed or walk around. I can't imagine playing football and getting smacked around with that. That's nuts.

-Turns out people really, really like NFL Draft stuff. My browser stats just about exploded thanks to that Mock Draft the other day and a few helpful links from some draft sites around the web. I may have to do those more often.

Basketball
-DeJuan Blair absolutely went off against hapless DePaul. The game was a bit worrisome in the early going as the Blue Demons are winless in Big East play but came out gunning for the Panthers. Thankfully DeJuan took the game over shortly thereafter and continued to cement himself as the best and most important player on the Pitt roster. Blair had his umpteenth double-double of the season and poured in a career-high 32 points. His boards were padded by an insane 9 offensive rebounds. If there is a better offensive rebounder in the nation, I'm not aware of him.

-Also for the Panthers, Levance Fields was in peak form. Fields had a jaw-dropping 16 assists to go along with 13 points as he got a double/double as well. Fields also had just 1 turnover in the game. Just astounding. This is one of the few seasons I can ever remember where multiple Pitt players are among the National Leaders in different stat categories. Fieldsy is currently second in the nation in assists and Blair is fourth in rebounds. That's tough to do playing in the Big East conference.

-While we are on the subject of college hoops, I almost never bring up that other school between Fifth and Forbes in the Downtown region, but I can't overlook the job by the Duquesne Dukes the other night. To upset number 9 Xavier is one hell of a win. Despite feeling some serious after-effects from the shooting of a couple years ago, Dukes coach Ron Everhart continues to do a bang-up job with his squad. The Dukes actually sit in 4th place right now in the reasonably competitive A-10. That's pretty impressive. Typically the A-10 gets 2 or 3 bids, so if the Dukes can keep up this play and swing a few more upsets, we could be looking at two Burgh squads to go dancing. If nothing else, it's pretty likely they will at least head to the NIT. In fact, now that I think about it, Pitt, Duquesne, Robert Morris (1st in the NEC), West Virginia and even Penn State (!) could make the tourney this season. Wouldn't that be nuts? Of course there's also the chance that Duquesne and Penn State could go back to doing what they do best: Lose; Bobby Mo could fall in the NEC tourney and WVU could get squeezed out in the tough middle of the Big East and Pitt could be the only team to Dance.

Did you know wore red uniforms? Cuz I didn't.

-Quick prediction for tonight's Backyard Basketbrawl: Pitt 70 WVU 64

Hockey
-Disastrous Sunday for the Pens. Detroit outplayed them up and down the ice. The Pens shouldn't even be playing in the same league as the Wings right now. Like I said the other day, the Pens may have a few wins of late but I am by no means sold on this team. For some weird reason everyone seemed to ignore the fact that the Pens played like absolute garbage for the majority of the Lightning game and then took care of business against an underwhelming Blue Jacket squad. How is that enough to convince people this team is on the right track? It sure as hell didn't do much for me.

-I know everyone was and still is worked up about the Hossa situation, but what about Conklin? How terrible of a decision does it look right now not to make a better effort at signing him? I've typically been a fan of most Ray Shero moves, but this was a disastrously bad decision on his part. Conks is only making 750K right now, and I'd say he'd be very, very useful to the Pens right now. Flower has been inconsistent at best this year and we saw the benefits of some goalie competition for him last spring. I don't know if Mathieu Garon even made a save in his first (and mercifully only) game as a Penguin, and Dany Sabourin was a mediocre (at best) fill-in for Flower when MAF went down. I'm not saying Conks would be able to right all (or even any) of the wrongs on this squad, but you are kidding yourself if you don't think he'd be good for an extra couple of W's over what Sabu and the struggling Flower have done. That could be huge down the stretch.

Baseball
-I have to weigh in on the A-Rod thing: I can't understand how anyone is really that surprised. I mean yeah it was dumb of A-Rod, but he's a competitive athlete. If there is somewhere for him to gain an advantage and he knows that literally hundreds of his competitors are taking the same stuff if not more potent stuff, do you really think he's not going to leap at that advantage? It's ludicrous to fault him and taint his legacy for that. And the people who now claim they aren't going to vote A-Rod into the Hall because of this...well there really is no reasoning with you I'm sure, but how can you vote for anyone from this era? It's pretty clear that any player in that era except David Eckstein might have taken the roids. Just because A-Rod's name got leaked does that really make him any less worthy? I say no.

-As for Curt Schilling's ridiculous idea to have all 104 players named to make it fair and get it all out there...uhmm...Curt I think some of your former mates and the union you were a part of might be slightly against that. Nothing like hanging your fellow players out to dry, though.

-Only 4 days until Pitchers and Catchers report to camp! And we are greeted with this spectacular 'Burgh weather to get us all in the mood for some spring baseball. Just perfect timing all around. I'll begin putting together some preview stuff for the Buccos, for MLB, and probably even for Fantasy Baseball (the best form of fantasy sports bar none) starting at some point over the coming weekend.

Other Stuff:
-Are the Grammys the most irrelevant of the major "weird nickname" awards? They have to be, right? Do you know anyone who watches them, or cares who wins them? Music is so insanely subjective based on the tastes of the listener I don't know how anyone could really dub themselves a music critic. I thought most of the songs that won Grammys were terrible. Coldplay hasn't been good since "Clocks" or maybe even "Yellow", Robert Plant needs to just get the Led Zeppelin reunion over with already and stop this weird collaboration stuff, Radiohead is one of the most critically overrated but commercially underrated bands in the history of the world (pretty tough to do), and Lil Wayne may be entertaining and funny, but I can't take the guy seriously.

-I saw two movies this weekend (god I miss football already): Gran Torino and Taken. I enjoyed them both thoroughly. I had pretty low expectations for Taken but was pleasantly surprised that Liam Neeson was believable as a spy/killing machine character. Gran Torino was infinitely better than the atrocious Benjamin Button, and I haven't heard that many great things about the Reader, either. Anyway, Clint Eastwood delivered the goods. I'd recommend either one if you're looking for an enjoyable flick.

Get off my lawn!

-As I said before, this weather really makes me want to go out and play baseball. It reminds me so much of the opening couple weekends in I think April when the rec baseball leagues would start up. Baseball was never the sport I was best at but I always really, really enjoyed it, especially after a long, cold winter.

-I had a 9 game winning streak in ESPN's Streak for the Cash going until last night. I thought for sure that Utah over Golden State was a sure thing. I don't know why I pick stupid NBA games. They are unbelievably unreliable. I was already dreaming of how I'd spend the millions. Damn it all.

Steelers Win The Super Bowl

Wow. That's really the best that I can muster right now after that once in a lifetime game last night. It's hard to say exactly where that game last night ranks in the history of Super Bowls, but it's safe to say it has to go down as one of the top few ever. The first 55 minutes or so were good, but it was the incredible last 3 minutes that made it great. You just knew that Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston weren't going to go down without a fight, and that's what those last few minutes were.

After that highly questionable holding call (in a night filled with highly questionable penalties) in the end zone that caused a safety and cut the lead to 20-16, I think everyone in Pittsburgh stopped breathing for a few minutes. I mean, after the Cardinals O finally looked like they were getting their swagger back (either that or they were stealing Ike Taylor's much alluded to swagger) on the previous drive, the last thing in the world we needed to see was that Cardinal O get the back again with a shot to take a lead. And of course they didn't disappoint, doing their part to set the stage with a bullet pass to Larry Fitz that the former Pitt legend housed with speed that I don't think anyone knew he had.

For a brief instant Steeler fans everywhere were hanging their heads. Not in defeat, of course, just in frustration and worry. But hope was not far off. Almost immediately after the score the camera shot to our two-time Super Bowl winning QB and he gave a look like, "Alright these idiots scored too soon, we're going out there and there is no god damned way they are going to stop us." That look gave me and everyone else who witnessed it a renewed sense of hope and confidence.

The work by Ben on that final drive was the stuff of legend. The pass to Santonio was one that only the most elite players can make. And I really believe that no other QB in football could have run that two minute drill as well given this personnel. No one could have bought time like that with his struggling offensive line. No one could have had the balls to check down to their third and fourth options with defenders closing in on him. Simply an amazing job in an amazing game by an amazing player.

Some random thoughts:
-Breakout game for Santonio. I know he's had games like this before, of course, but after stepping up like he did last night with Hines Ward struggling to get anything going because of his injury, I think the torch has at least partially been passed from Ward to Holmes.

-As great as Santonio was, that MVP trophy belonged to Ben Roethlisberger. Santonio had one of the 3 or 4 greatest games for a receiver in Super Bowl history, but like I said, no other player in football could have performed like Large Benjamin last night. His amazing improvisation, his ability to easily fend off blitzers, his big arm and pinpoint accuracy, and his ability to lead the best two-minute drill in football. The guy is the most unique QB I've ever seen and might be the most unique player I've ever seen.

-As far as the reason for the MVP goes, I think the award going to Santonio is another example of Ben being underappreciated. If that had been Tom Brady or Peyton Manning or Brett Favre (Peter King just genuflected at the mention of His name) we'd be subject to 4.3 million bland columns by geezer columnists the nation over about the legend of these guys. But Ben is such a different animal at QB that no one who doesn't watch the Steelers every week seems to understand Roethlisberger's importance. And even as people still sing the praises of Peyton "over-the-hill" Manning, Tom "the gimp" Brady, and Brett "I've been a terrible QB for 3 years now" Favre, Big Ben won't be able to hear them anyway because he has two Super Bowl rings plugging his ears.

-How about James Harrison? I mean are you kidding me? Santonio's catch figures to go down as the legendary moment of this game, but that only counted for 7 points. Harrison's counted for 14, because there's no way you can tell me that the Cardinals wouldn't have scored a TD from inside the 5 with the greatest red zone weapon in football at their disposal.

-Kurt Warner's a Hall of Famer. There, I said it. He's not gonna be a first ballot guy, but he deserve to go to Canton.

-I absolutely love this city. After the game we sat around and watched trophy presentation and what not and by the time we headed out to the streets of Oakland to celebrate the place was already absolutely insane. The streets were all closed off throughout Oakland, fires were everywhere, and thousands upon thousands of rowdy students were covering the streets. Just an amazing scene and it couldn't have been any more enjoyable. That's also the reason that there is no conceivable way I was going to make it my 9:30 class this morning as putting together this blog post starting at about 10:45 was the first thing I did all morning besides downing an energy drink to try and combat a hangover. College is the best.

-I absolutely love this franchise. Is there any question that the Rooneys are the best and most effective owners in all of sports? I can't see how that can be debated. The biggest test of owners like the Rooneys is there ability to develop a culture in their organization and to hire the right staff. No one's been better. Chuck Noll is one of the 3 best coaches in NFL history. Bill Cowher was the ultimate player's coach and is a definite Hall of Famer whenever he retires again from his next job. Mike Tomlin has cemented himself as the best young coach in the NFL, and is quickly making a case as the best game coach in all of football. He doesn't have the front office pull of a Belichick (yet) and he doesn't have the league-wide respect factor of a Dungy just yet (though he definitely will) but on game day I don't know that there is anyone better at pushing the right buttons and unleashing things at the right time, even if he may be too aggressive or rash at some times. Plus, the Rooneys are great because of that culture they have built. I don't think anyone these days can argue the Steelers are America's team. Jerry Jones and the Cowboys may have started the moniker for themselves, but as an organization they pale in comparison to the Steelers.-I don't think NBC had enough people covering this thing. Peter King, Jerome Bettis, Tiki Barber, Andrea Kramer, Dan Patrick, Keith Olbermann, Cris Collinsworth, Bob Costas, Matt Millen, (how are we supposed to take anything this guy says seriously?), Mike Holmgrem, Tony Dungy and the foxy newcomer Alex Flanagan. And then we had the two man booth of John Madden and Al Michaels. That's 14 people!!! And there's a definite chance that I forgot someone. Really, NBC, we don't need that many people. Give me more Costas, more Collinsworth, MORE Alex Flanagan, and more Peter King. Give me less Keith Olbermann, less Tiki Barber, and absolutely no Matt Millen and things would be a lot better. Although, if NBC takes Bill Simmons up on his suggestion of a Hollywood Squares style set, then I rescind my complaints.

-I've said it before and I'll say it again: Ben Roethlisberger is a better playcaller than Bruce Arians. Hey, I know the players (especially Ben) seem to love Arians and he may very well be a very good coach and teacher but I'd much rather see Big Ben out there calling plays in a no huddle offense than looking at the wrist band and taking sideline signals. I'm not saying the O should turn into an early 90's Jim Kelly Buffalo Bills style offense, but that no-huddle, hurry up is so damn effective I'd love to see it more.

-Hines Ward, despite not getting much attention in the passing game, was his usual gritty self. It was apparent to anyone who has watched over the years that he was badly hurt. He is normally so effective because of the superb cuts he can make in his routes but I don't think I saw him make one of those trademark cuts yesterday. Still, he was blocking downfield on several plays, was constantly talking and being chippy and getting under Zona's skin, and did have a big play on the first drive of the game that helped get us 3 points.

That's all I can muster for now folks. I think I'm headed back to bed. Until next time, let's all revel in our franchise's record 6th Super Bowl Championship.

5 Key Matchups for SB43

1. Larry Fitzgerald vs. The Steelers Secondary
Above all else, Fitzgerald is the reason that the Cardinals are in the Super Bowl this season. He has been basically unstoppable as he torched defense after defense during the playoffs. If the Cards are going to win this game it will be because of Larry's incredible abilities. So naturally, he is priority numero uno for the Steelers spectacular defense. I expect to see a fair amount of Ike Taylor going against Fitz, but even with the Steelers top corner shadowing Larry, I still think we'll see double coverage for much of the day. Also, the Steelers often go to something of a zone when they blitz heavy, as most teams do, but against Fitz, we've seen all postseason you absolutely, positively cannot go zone. It will be interesting to see how Dick LeBeau plays against this unbelievable talent.

2. Ben Roethlisberger vs. The Cardinals Pass Rush
The Cards defense has really stepped up their game the past few weeks. Because of this, Big Ben is going to need to play mistake-free ball and neutralize their superb playmakers. Roethlisberger has been excellent at that for the past several games, but every Steeler fan has seen how nasty things can get when Ben starts struggling and trying to do too much. Roethlisberger is one of the most unique QB's in football and his way of fending off blitzers and keeping plays alive can alter games in both extremely positive and negative ways. Its probably a pretty fair bet that we will see at least instance of each in this game. Just how positive and negative those plays are will go a long toward determining this puppy.

3. James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley vs. The Cardinals O-Line
One of these days the refs may start calling more of the dozens of holdings of James Harrison that occur every single freaking game. It's absolutely insane the way he is blatantly held, and with the Cardinals mediocre tackles I expect that trend to continue, and if we even get one holding call our way I will be pleased. Even with the holding and the double teams Harrison often seems to rise to the occasion and there is certainly no bigger occasion that this one. I have a hard time imagining him not producing at least a couple big time plays.

4. Dick LeBeau and Mike Tomlin vs. Ken Whisenhunt and Todd Haley
This is sort of a poetic type matchup. Tomlin, of course, is a defensive coach and the best coach on his staff is the defensive coordinator. Whiz, as we all know, is an offensive master and his top lieutenant is the very promising Haley. And not coincidentally, these are the top units for the respective squads. As we always saw in the Burgh, Whiz loves to throw out trick plays in big games, and I fully expect to see something crazy in this game. How LeBeau and company handle any gadgers will be a key to success for both squads. And all this is even without discussing the incredibly intimate knowledge that Whiz and LeBeau have of each other's schemes. It's safe to say that's going to be a huge factor, too.

5. Kurt Warner vs. Troy Polamalu
On one side we have one of the most experienced, most intelligent, and right now, one of the best quarterbacks in football. On the other hand there is the most disruptive defender in football who doubles as quite possibly the single most athletic player in the league as well. Should be a truly fascinating matchup. Warner is one of the few QB's who might (and I stress might) be able to neutralize or maybe even take advantage of Polamalu's play. I certainly don't think that Troy will be able to wreak havoc all day long, but the key will be whether or not he's able to make a few monster plays (like the INT or the 4th down line jump against Baltimore) that alter this game.

Some Super Bowl Links

Here we are folks, just 9 days away from Super Bowl XLIII, and because there is already a crazy amount of coverage out there, and not a whole lot else is happening right now in the sports world these days, I thought I'd link to some of the better/more interesting coverage around.

-The Arizona Republic says the Cardinals D knows its up against a major challenge when they took on our own Big Ben Roethlisberger next weekend. I about soiled myself with laughter when I read the line about the Cards using Brian St. Pierre to simulate Ben. Uhmm... yeah I think that's just a bit off. I watched St. Pierre stink the joint out in too many exhibitions over the years. If thats their best bet for prepping for Roethlisberger, I like our chances a whole lot more than originally.

-The Sporting News has 10 different angles of the Steelers/ Cardinals matchup.

-The National Football Post doesn't seem to think there are many storylines in the Super Bowl. I guess the numerous Pittsburgh connections and the Tomlin/Whiz/Grimm storyline isn't appetizing enough for them. I tend to agree, but it's still early, and storylines can still emerge.

-The Post also examines a little bit of the long-rumored Roethlisberger/ Whisenhunt feud. I must say, I'm a little surprised this hasn't gotten more play, as it is definitely a pretty good storyline and is interesting, at least to me.

-Bodog provides a list of some of the prop bets for the Super Bowl. Always a fun thing to read and think over. I definitely like the over on the "Big Ben" bet. I don't think 5 is enough. As for which NBC show will get the most promos, I think it has to be "30 Rock" right? Everyone knows how much that network is in love with Tina Fey and her award-winning, yet under-watched TV show. I think Jay Leno has a chance, too, and I disagree with their bet that "The Office" is the favorite. Though I think there's a chance 30 Rock and The Office could be paired together in promos.

-We're the Greatest! At least according to Page 2's David Fleming, we are. And by we, I of course mean the Steelers. The greatest franchise in sports, folks, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Also, some good observations at the bottom about the Steelers. I especially liked the second one, involving LaMarr Woodley and his psychotic look last week.

-Scouts Inc. ranks the players in the Super Bowl. I disagree with a fair amount of this assessment, but its at least worth a read. I think sometimes the numbers guys get a bit too into the numbers and aren't able to incorporate non-quantifiable aspects into their calculations. I do agree with their top 3, though after that it gets a bit murky. How can an injured and cancerous player like Anquan Boldin be considered the 6th best player in this game?

-NFL.com breaks down who's better position-by-position. The Steelers get the overall edge in this matchup, though its very slight.

-Limas Sweed is eager to get another shot and thinks that he can come through this time for the Steelers, he just hopes to get a shot. Limas, no offense buddy. I mean I like you and think you can definitely turn into a half-decent receiver, but will be praying you don't see the field in the Super Bowl. I just can't possibly trust you.

-ESPN tries to get a story on Chuck Noll, the man who is most responsible for turning the Steelers into THE NFL franchise of all NFL franchises. Not a bad one, but the man still likes his privacy and probably just wants to be left alone.

-The Terrible Blog looks at the weird complaints Steelers fans seem to have of Ben Roethlisberger. I don't know that I would use the word hate like he does, but I do agree that the constant bitching about Ben has to end. It all seems to go back to the fact that he is far from a prototypical NFL QB. But you know what? That's fine with me. I mean, it's one thing to yell at your TV in the middle of the game because he held onto the ball too long or because he took another hit in the pocket or something like that, I mean everyone does that no matter who the player is. But the crazy, yapping yinzers who call up talk shows (though not now that the Steelers are in XLIII, of course) are just downright annoying. Ben is very, very effective at what he does even if it isn't always the prettiest or most normal way of doing it. Winning is winning, and that's what should always be most important to us.

-Peter King examines the Sean Morey angle for this Super Bowl. King is right when he says, "Rarely do you hear a player so affectionate for a team he left." Morey truely loved his time in Pittsburgh, and I wouldn't have minded seeing him hang around here a while longer to ply his trade, but I'd say things worked out pretty well this way, too.

Recapping the AFC Conference Steel(er) Cage Match

As promised, some thoughts and links from what was essentially a no-holds-barred, steel cage match last night on the frozen tundra of Heinz Field.

Some Links:
-ESPN is doing an all-day chat thing over at their site. Not worth reading up on all the different parts of the chat, as it would take all day, but it's worth it if you have a few interesting questions you'd like the "experts" at the WWL to answer.

-The Professor, John Clayton, puts together the big questions of this Super Bowl for right now. As always, its good stuff by Clayton.

-James Walker tells the critics of Ben Roethlisberger to shut their collective yaps. And yes, that includes the many yinzers who spent large portions of this season screaming at him to get rid of the ball. Does he drive people (including myself) crazy at times? Absolutely. But this is who he is, and the best one-word description of him as a football player is: Winner. And that's fine by me. Peyton and Tom can have their records, I'll take Roethlisberger any day of the week.

-Peter King's MMQB, a must-read no matter what football team you like, spends a good deal of the column discussing the Steelers-Ravens game.

-As always, Mondesi's House does a great job breaking down the game.

-Gene Collier writes about Heinz Field no longer be an AFC Championship curse. This had definitely gone through my mind more than once before the game, but it's a different situation with our new coach, Mike Tomlin, I suppose. Ron Cook says that, despite the stats that claim otherwise, the title of best defense in football was on the line last night, and the Steelers proved once and for all they are the best D in the league.

Random Thoughts
-I don't think I have ever seen a more physical game with players who just no regard whatsoever for their own personal well-being. Just ridiculous. Thank god they give the teams a bye week before the Super Bowl, because there is no way this Steeler team would be ready if they had to play again in six days. I mean, Ryan Clark's entire body probably feels like he was in a severe traffic accident yesterday, Hines Ward probably can't do much more than jog, Mewelde Moore is iffy and anything that hurts his quickness pretty much negates any value he has, the offensive and defensive lines were hitting all day long, and of course, Ben Roethlisberger took his usual lumps, including what I thought was a definite late hit from Haruki Nakamura that I couldn't believe wasn't flagged.

-I liked that Bruce Arians tried very hard to establish the run early on, but I thought that he stuck to it a little too long. Parker was unable to get anything going against that stout Baltimore defense, and I think we would have been better served giving Mewelde a few more snaps early in the game and sending a few short passes his way. Worst case they are equally as effective, getting 2 or 3 yards a pop, and best case Mewelde catches one in some space and is able to make a play or two.

-Ben Roethlisberger just does it. That's all there is too it. He wins games, he plays smart when he has to, and he's going to his second Super Bowl with a 7-2 playoff record at the age of 26. Just an amazing job yet again by our franchise QB. Right now, I'd take him ahead of any QB in football, and I really mean that. Think about it: Who knows what is going to happen with Tom Brady's knee? He may never be the same. Peyton Manning came on real strong at the end of the season, but Ben has already had much more postseason success than Manning and doesn't require 30+ passes per game to get in a rhythm at the end of a game like Peyton. Phillip Rivers put together a great season, but has leadership and character issues and his game record pales in comparison. Eli looked a little too much like the old Eli down the stretch, and I'm still not sold on him. Kurt Warner, in my opinion, has been the beneficiary of having two of the best receiving corps in recent NFL history at his disposal with the current Zona group and the Greatest Show on Turf group with the Rams. Plus, he's old. Drew Brees can sling it as well as anyone, but I can't take him seriously until he picks up a few January W's. He can keep his 5000 yard, video-game offense season, thanks but no thanks.

-Troy Polamalu vs. Ed Reed just got a whole lot more interesting. I know I said yesterday that I thought Reed was ahead of Polamalu as a safety and was one of the best in league history, but I found myself now thinking I may have underestimated our spectacular number 43. Polamalu was the best player on the field yesterday, while Reed pretty much disappeared for large chunks of the game. I guess that might have something to do with the play of the respective QB's, but I think this debate is very much alive and well.

-I don't know that I've ever seen a game quite like the one Limas Sweed had yesterday. Sweed, of course, was headed for infamy after dropping a sure-fire TD that Roethlisberger delivered precisely into his hands. He did end up hauling in a pair of passes by the end, and didn't make anymore awful mistakes. He also leveled a Hines Ward-esque block on unsuspecting Corey Ivy, knocking him clear into next week. Just a weird game for him, and I pray that Hines Ward is 100% healthy and that Limas doesn't have to set foot on the field against Arizona.

-Dick LeBeau continues to prove he's the best defensive coordinator in all of football. All we heard in the first two rounds and all through the regular season was that Joe Flacco was Joe Cool, that he was unflappable, and made plays in the biggest moments because you couldn't get into his head. Yeaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh so much for that thought process, eh? Flacco was definitely flappable yesterday and LeBeau flapped him again and again. Big sacks, two bad interceptions, the last one pretty much sealing the game for the Steelers. Don't get me wrong, I like Flacco a lot and think he could definitely develop into Roethlisberger Lite and be a very good QB in the NFL, but somehow everyone forgot that he didn't do anything against the Steelers in the regular season and is still a rookie QB in the playoffs. And LeBeau knew just how to rattle his cage.

-That said, I will be VERY interested to see LeBeau's game plan against the Cardinals and Kurt Warner. Warner is notoriously great at taking advantage of blitzing teams and getting the ball out in a hurry. That's not to say that I think LeBeau will abandon the blitz, as that would never happen in a billion years, but I do think some of the more exotic schemes, like bringing Polamalu and Timmons may be put on hold.

-I'm happy for the Cards and for Ken Whiz, Russ Grimm, Larry Fitz, and Gerry Hayes, but for the next 13 days, they are public enemy number 1 in my book. My old Larry Fitzgerald Pitt jersey? It's been removed from my closet where it sat next to the likes of Ben Roethlisberger, Troy Polamalu, Sidney Crosby, and Willie Stargell and shoved underneath my bed where it won't see the light of day again until February 2nd.
-Too many Super Bowls lately have come down to last minute scoring drives, and after watching Jeff Reed yesterday at the Heinz Field tundra, I have the fullest confidence in him to have a big game if necessary in Super Bowl XLIII.

-I was pleased, shocked, elated, and surprised to see the refs call a holding call yesterday in favor of James Harrison. Of course, he was held a minimum 15-20 times yesterday and only one was called, but at least its a start.

-Another nice day for the Steelers' secondary yesterday. Ike Taylor, Bryant McFadden, Deshea Townsend, and William Gay played extremely well from their cornerback spots, and I think it mostly goes without saying that Polamalu, Clark, and Ty Carter did a super job at safety. Just a great performance all around. And that is huge for the Steelers because the Cardinals offense will revolve around Larry Fitzgerald and Kurt Warner. If the Steelers can contain Fitz (there is no stopping the guy) the Cards offense is not going to be able to hang in the game.

-People have been talking a lot about the Whisenhunt connection and how it gives him an advantage because of how well he knows the Steelers personnel and all... but do you really think that doesn't go the other way, too? Mike Tomlin may not know Whiz, but Dick LeBeau worked against Whisenhunt's offense in practice countless times and, as Whisenhunt openly admits, LeBeau more than once helped him adjust to defensive schemes. Do we really think LeBeau doesn't know every wrinkle of Whiz's offense. And do we really think the Steelers aren't fully aware of countless Whisenhunt gadget plays. I see this intimate knowledge being a wash in the end.

-The Steelers O-Line had some issues with Baltimore pass rush and did take some penalties (looking squarely at Chris Kemoeautu and his incredibly stupid personal foul), but they handled that Ravens rush pretty darn well I thought. Sure they couldn't open up holes for an ant to even run through, but no one can do that against the Ravens. You can't blame them too much for that, and they managed to buy Ben at least some time. And the Cardinals D, however well they may be playing right now, is no Ravens squad.

-I expect to see another crowd heavy in Steelers support down in Tampa Bay. Florida has so many transplants or retirees from Pittsburgh it's downright absurd. This might be even more Steeler heavy than the Detroit Super Bowl XL crowd of 3 years ago. And considering the game is against the Cardinals, who probably have one of the least-established fan bases in the sport, and we could be looking at like a 85/15 or 90/10 split for this puppy. Tampa Bay will be turned into Terrible Towel city. Should be exciting.

Steelers- Ravens AFC Championship Preview

First, some links in this super-duper Preview of the AFC Championship edition on TRS.
-LaMarr Woodley breakout game and the weeks leading up to it are chronicled tongue-in-cheek by James Walker. I mean he wasn't really over-eating and depressed as Troy claims. I did chuckle a little when I read the line about James Harrison constantly being double-teamed. James Walker, if by "double-teamed" you mean being held by two guys at once, then I agree.

-Unfortunately Bill Simmons picked the Steelers in his weekly gambling picks column. Bad news considering the Sports Guy went 0-4 last week on his picks and openly admits that his prediction is a kiss of death.

-An update on the Ravens injury report. Samari Rolle is apparently out for the AFC Championship and Terrell Suggs figures to be a game-time decision. I have a VERY hard time believing that Suggs won't play at all in this one. even if its just as a third down pass rusher or something like that, I think Suggs finds his way onto the field.

-Ron Cook is apparently in love with Ed Reed. Reed truely is probably the most disruptive defensive player in football these days, followed closely by our own Troy Polamalu. But I agree with Cookie, Troy is number two on that list, and there's not a ton of room for debate there. I'm not gonna lie, with Ben's penchant for taking chances downfield, Ed Reed scares the bejeezus out of me for the game tomorrow. And Gene Collier pretty much backs that up in his article about the game as well.

-In an interesting piece, Mike Smith, the Falcons Head Coach and reigning NFL Coach of the Year, breaks down the two league title games. He gives some interesting insights into both squads, but also points out some of the obvious, like Ben Roethlisberger and Joe Flacco similarities.-The always superb Peter King makes his pick for the AFC Championship game, as well as making some points about the game worth reading. King thinks the biggest difference in this game is going to be the injuries for the Ravens. I tend to agree.

-5 subplots for Ravens-Steelers. I think someone really needs to explore the similarities between Flacco and Roethlisberger. That hasn't been covered nearly enough.

-The Baltimore Sun profiles the divider line between Steeler Nation and Ravens country. I always think Nation sounds bigger than country, especially when it's all capitalized like that.

-The Sun also put together a comprehensive list of who different media outlets are picking to win the game. I really don't like when the vast majority of experts pick the Steelers. The obvious game rarely goes the way its supposed to.

-David Steele of the Baltimore Sun predicts that Steelers-Rvens is about to become the pre-eminent rivalry in football and that these two teams are set up to have incredible success for the forseeable future. I hope he's right, as Steelers-Birdies is never dull.

-Sportsline's AFC Title preview. Nothing earth-shattering here.

-John Harris and Mike Prisuta's column from the Trib. As always if you only have time for one, make it Prisuta. He is probably the most underrated writer in the Burgh. Prisuta is right when he urges the Steelers not to take unnecessary chances and tk "keep it simple" as he says. He urges the Steelers not to make the first mistake, and when the Ravens make a mistake, be sure to pounce on it. He's exactly right. The one thing that could swing this game to the Ravens, as I've already said, is turnovers and mistakes. They feed off that energy and that momentum and will bury the Steelers with it if they can.

-From the Steelers Today Blog, the Ravens are, in fact, hypocrtical about Hines Ward. I fully agree with this thought. Hines is a Raven-type player through and through. They'd love to have him I'm sure.

-From the Steel Curtain Rising Blog, another fan is equally as pissed about the ridiculous amount of holding of James Harrison that NEVER gets called, only instead of bad-mouthing NFL officials and calling them names not fit for print, this writer got a bit more creative and spun it in a humorous way.

-A weird, and mostly unprofessional list of reasons for Ravens fans to hate Steelers fans. Each one is about 3 paragraphs long, at most, which leads me to believe that the writer A) Has very little material, B) Is Lazy, or C) Is Barely Literate. Actually, I'm thinking he may have the trifecta. Why don't you goofy newspapers leave the trash-talking where it belongs: on the Blogs. I mean it's not like these are even good trash-talking points on Pittsburgh. I mean, "Weird Bridges"? Really? You can't figure out why we have 446 bridges? I don't suppose its because we have three rivers in the city is it? Maybe we should just have one insanely long bridge that is constantly congested, is that how Baltimorons (I doubt that's the name for people that live there, but its probably close) prefer it? I'd rather have hundreds upon hundred of bridges with little traffic on most than the other way around. Thanks. Glad you aren't a city planner. And you are complaining about the Fort Pitt Tunnel being a claustrophobic's nightmare? I suppose we should just ignore the fact that the Baltimore Harbour tunnel is more than twice the length of the Fort Pitt and is UNDER WATER!!!! I imagine claustrophobes have quite the issue with that, thank you very much. But then again, you're just a newspaper writer, what do you have to worry about facts for? Yet another example of the dwindling respect level in papers. (END RANT)

-Halfway down this page, the excellent Mike Lombardi gives some insight on Steelers-Ravens. Its interesting the Ravens have not won the time of possession battle in either playoff game. Also interesting that the Steelers have never lost a playoff game when Fast Willie is the starter (5-0). I hadn't thought of that.

Okay well that's enough of that, let's get to the breakdown.
5 Key Matchups

1. Ben Roethlisberger vs. Ed Reed
In case you skimmed through the above (and I don't blame you if you did), one of my key points was the work of the mighty Ed Reed. Reed can turn this game all by himself with one mistake by Roethlisberger. And with Ben's love of the downfield pass, that gravely concerns me. What we need to see is the Big Ben we saw in Round 2 who took great care of the ball, was quick to get rid of it, and any downfield chance he took was smart and had very low risk. Reed is as big of a gamebreaker as there is in football today, and probably has just as good a chance at scoring as the entire Ravens offense.
2. James Harrison vs. Joe Flacco
Some of Harrison's biggest games of his career have come against Baltimore, including that monster game a year ago when that catapulted him into a household name. Expect Dick LeBeau to unleash Harrison yet again and use him to try and rattle the seemingly unflappable young QB. As usual, expect Harrison to be illegally held every time he blitzes, and as usual I'm sure the refs will swallow their whistles whole.

3. Willie Parker vs. Ray Lewis
Obviously the matchup goes a lot deeper than this, but it's flashy symbolism for the Steelers desire to establish the run and the Ravens excellent run defense. Parker was superb last week, and I imagine Bruce Arians will do his best to try to get Parker going yet again in the early going of this one. And for that I wish him best of luck, because I can't imagine Ray-Ray and his crew letting up many yards, but if Willie shows that same burst I expect he'll be able to at least break off a few big gains even if he can't consistently pick up the yards.

4. Ravens Blitzes vs. Steelers pass protection
The Steelers O-Line was yet another pleasant surprise we got in Round 2, and if the Steelers are to win this game, they need to play well again. Expect Suggs, Scott, and Ngata to do their best to overpower and overwhem the much-maligned Steelers O-line. Max Starks has continued his fine work on the left side, but the rest of the line played very well last week as well, with the exception of the still-struggling Darnell Stapleton. Chris Kemoeautu was especially good last week as a pulling guard.

5. Dick LeBeau vs. Cam Cameron
Two of the very best coordinators in the game square off in what should be a very interesting matchup. I still think Cameron got a terribly raw deal last year in Miami and never had a shot to succeed. Still, he has been excellent handling Flacco this year and putting together great game plans for him to succeed. LeBeau meanwhile is one of the best defensive coordinators the NFL has ever seen and is known far and wide for his spectacular blitz packages that can confuse any QB, let alone a rookie.

Other Random Thoughts
-Something tells me that Hines Ward has a huge game in this one. We all know how well Hines and the Ravens get along. And we also know how Hines thrives in his role as an antagonist. He lives for games and moments like this one. He also has become one of the game's pre-eminent third down threats, and given the stingy Ravens D, I expect that third down situations will be a key to success for both squads.

-The Ravens injuries are going to play a factor in this, but I think the Samari Rolle injury is the one that hurts them the most. Rolle is a very good corner, certainly much better than his replacement, Frank Walker. With Santonio Holmes playing very well and Nate Washington turning into a legit downfield threat, having to play guys like Walker and Corey Ivy more than they otherwise would is going to end up biting the Ravens in the ass.

-I haven't watched enough Ravens games to know this intimately, but I'll be interested to see how Joe Flacco reacts to Troy Polamalu's pre-snap shifts. More experienced QBs typically audible or at least bluff audibling when they see Polamalu settle in somewhere, but I don't know if Flacco will do that, as I'm sure Cameron will have at least partially accounted for this and may not want Flacco overruling him on the field.

-I know he's been around for ages and can't possibly have a ton left in the tank, but I never like facing Derrick Mason. He's like Hines Ward without the ferocious hitting, and always seems to come up big against the Steelers.

-I'm not sorry to see Le'Ron McClain banged up. I figure Willis McGahee and (if he plays) Ray Rice will be mostly ineffective, although McGahee has had some moments against the Steelers D. What I don't want to see is a hungry, bruising runner like McClain barrelling through the middle of our D for 3 and 4 yards a pop. I don't know how effective we'd be at stopping him on a cold, bitter day like tomorrow.

-I'd like to see LaMarr Woodley build on that big game of a week ago. If James Harrison is getting doubleheld blocked by the Ravens, Woodley should be in single coverage and should be able to make the most of his opportunities to get to Flacco. I'd also like to see LeBeau deploy the unbelievably fast Lawrence Timmons get more snaps in place of Larry Foote. Sure Foote is the more stable and more sound player, but Timmons can make incredible plays happen, and can bring superb pressure from the middle of the field, as well as more than capably run with the likes of Todd Heap.

The Pick: Steelers 20 Ravens 13 This is going to be a ridiculously physical and violent game and surely won't be for the faint of heart. i expect the Ravens to do their best to try to set the tone early on with their physicality on defense. I think they also have a fair amount of success shutting down Willie Parker in the run game. But the Steelers will be persistent in setting up the ground game, even if it means a few early punts. Setting up even a mediocre rushing attack will enable Ben to test the Ravens corners downfield, and I think Santonio has another big scoring play, this time on a long pass from Roethlisberger that not even the great Ed Reed can stop. As for the Ravens offense, I think Flacco gets hit early and often but does his best to avoid taking big loss sacks and making costly mistakes. I think eventually, though, he is forced into a turnover or two and the Steelers capitalize.

So Here We Go Steelers.

I'll leave you with this

Diary of a Crazy Sunday

What do you get when you combine 5 hours of sleep, a nasty hangover, the number 1 basketball team in the NCAA, Steelers-Chargers, and the return of Jack Bauer? A Three River Sports running diary of course! What follows spans a hectic 13 1/2 hours for yours truly.

8:30 (beep, beep, Beep, Beep, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP...)"ugh, stupid alarm" (pressing sleep button)
8:37 (beep, beep, Beep, Beep, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP...) "NO! There is no way it's time to get up yet (pressing sleep button)
8:44 (beep, beep, Beep, Beep, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP...) "crap" I finally stumble out of bed cursing those extra drinks I insisted on last night at Peter's Pub.
8:46 Trying to shower myself awake
9:30 Only about 25% awake, I embark through the frigid Oakland weather up the large hill in front of the Petersen Events Center that feels roughly like Mount Everest right now. Why did I leave at 9:30 AM for a noon game you ask? Because these are the sacrifices necessary when you are a student fan on the number 1 basketball team in the land. If you don't get to the Pete a minimum 2 1/2 hours early for Big East games, you're seat in the Oakland Zoo just isn't good enough. Plus, it's sort of like a badge of honor. "Oh yeah, well I got up here at 9:30 and I was still a little bit drunk!" Damn I'm going to miss college.
10:20 They finally let us into the Zoo a little before the designated 10:30 time, and everyone rushes inside, only 100 minutes now until the game gets under way! It's always a little weird to look around the Zoo and see it about 80-90% full and see no more than a couple dozen people in the rest of the arena this early.
10:50 Me and my buddies spend the first half hour of the pre-game time discussing the Steelers-Chargers game at every single position. Yeah, we're kind of fans. We're getting a little tired of that discussion, and, distracted by the warming-up Panthers we decide to discuss how far we think each player on the Pitt roster will go with basketball
11:30 Our Consensus: Sam Young hangs around the NBA for about 6 or 7 years as a borderline rotation guy on bad teams or a 10th/ 11th man on good teams. DeJuan Blair has a 10+ year career and spends the majority of that time starting. We also decide he gets badly overpaid at least once in his career. He ends up being about a 15-and-8 guy for his career. Levance Fields goes the Jaron Brown/Julius Page/ Antonio Graves/ Carl Krauser route and plays in the CBA or something weird like that for a couple yers and eventually ends up coaching somewhere before long. Tyrell Biggs does similarly for a year or two and then leaves the sport behind. Jermaine Dixon is a D-Leaguer or something, partially because of name recognition, and kicks around Europe for a while. Gil Brown matures into a stud at Pitt and plays in the NBA, Brad Wanamaker becomes a better Antonio Graves and is a CBA/ D-League type player, as well. Nas Robinson turns into a good player and gets a brief shot at the NBA that doesn't last long. Ashton Gibbs is a CBAer, as is Tra Woodall.
11:47 HERE COME THE PANTHERS!
12:00 Tip-off gets under way with DeJuan losing the tip to a guy wearing a freaking Rip Hamilton schnozzo mask.
12:20 St. John's is a frisky bunch. DJ Kennedy is playing well. Pitt really isn't. Just a sloppy start to this one.
12:56 Halftime. Pitt pulled ahead 41-36 late in the first half. D.J. Kennedy is a hell of a player. I think he was fouled somewhere between 4 and 3,000 times in the first half. Like a poor man's poor man's poor man's Dwyane Wade. Why didn't Pitt go hard after this kid? DeJuan got in foul trouble with 4 minutes to go in the first half. No good Blair, we need you to be nice and available in the second half. Gil Brown, Sam Young not looking good at all. Jermaine Dixon had a decent half as did Levance. Should be an interesting second. Let's hope they remember they need to play defense.
1:19 Just got word from my buddy watching at home that I made an appearance on the tube. Bad-ass-ness. I freakin' love being in the Zoo.
1:30 Things looking much more comfortable, Pitt up double digits. DeJuan has taken control underneath, and I can't be positive, but there is at least a 10% chance that Juan Dixon stole his little bro's body for this game because Jermaine is lighting the stuff up out there.1:35 Forgot to mention, there are all sorts of recruits for the football squad hanging out here today. A few have come over, including QB Kolby Gray, who is not exactly an imposing figure, but at least he can't be any worse than Billy Stull right? I've got to say, Cam Saddler, if he doesn't recover from the torn ACL, has a serious future as a recruiter. He was encouraging the youngsters to come over to the Oakland Zoo and hang out with us and cheer and sign their name on the little white boards the Zoo guys bring along. Even the guys who haven't committed yet are over here basically saying their gonna be Panthers. This comes a year after Saddler helped us land his buddy Shayne Hale in an absolute coup. He just seems like a real cool guy. I wish I was good at football so he could recruit me.
2:05 Panthers win! 90-67 over the Johnnies, pulling away at the very end. Even Tiesi and Sean Brown make an appearance at the end of the game. Jermaine Dixon had a great game, as did Blair and Fieldsy. Sam I Am was okay, but it was obvious that the Storm game planned to keep him in check, so you've got to give him credit for that.
2:18 I finally get the heck out of the Pete. I mean I love that place and all, but it is freaking impossible to get out of there when a packed house attends a game and hardly anyone leaves early. I'm absolutely starving now, having overcoming my earlier nausea and nasty hangover. Time for a Wendy's run.
2:25 Turns out we weren't the only ones feeling some Wendy's. A minimum 15 consecutive people in front of us on the street turn in to Wendy's. I consider other alternatives, but I've already begun salivating over a Spicy Chicken sandwich and a chocolate frosty.
2:35 Mmmmm....Spicy Chicken...2:55 I'm finally back to my apartment with less than two hours until game time. I'm real tired all of a sudden. Thinking about a nap...
3:15 Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
4:15 Woken up yet again by that damn alarm. Better get another shower before the game starts.
4:30 Heading over to my buddy's house for the game. Luckily he only lives about 2 minutes away.
4:45 HERE WE GO STEELERS HERE WE GO! clap clap4:50 Crap! Phil Rivers drills Vinny Jackson for a touchdown. Jackson celebrates by pretending to walk a straight line, then falling off like he's drunk. Just kidding. But how funny would that have been? I'd be laughing even if the Bolts go on to win this thing 70-0. Anywho, the Bolts are off to a cookin' start, 7-0. Our D was having some serious struggles on that one. Bad news bears.
4:56 Steelers going for it on fourth down?!?! Really Mike Tomlin? One of my buddies, who is no Mike Tomlin fan, is quickly irritated and says Tomlin doesn't know how to coach in the playoffs. But Wait! Big Ben with the quick kick! My buddy quickly sits down and doesn't say anything more. That was a bold strategy Cotton, definitely paid off though, as its downed at the 9. Okay Mikey Thomlin, I'm with you on that one. I like the creativity, anyway. Plus, anything that keeps Mitch Berger off the field can't be all bad.
5:09 SANTONIO! Our beleaguered wide receiver HOUSES a punt return from the Mike "Jesus Christ" Scifres. All week long I heard people yelping about Scifres being the ultimate difference maker for the Bolts, including Bill Simmons' ludicrous picking of the Chargers because of Scifres, yet no one mentioned that booming kicks that don't land near the goal line too often out-kick their coverage, which is exactly what happened now. Suck on that Sports Guy.
5:49 The aforementioned friend who doesn't like Tomlin is borderline homicidal right now after a bizarre fake punt that was so bad it looked like it was drawn up by Matt Cavanugh. That's just a ridiculous decision there considering how wonderful our D has been since the opening drive. This game has turned into a field-position battle, and this isn't helping us.
5:58 Field Goal Nate Kaeding. This one's on you Mike Tomlin. You'd best more than make up for it as the game progresses.
6:07 Steelers run a spectacular 2 minute drill with Willie Parker scooting in to the end zone from 3 yards out. Hines Ward made the critical play on this drive on a deep ball from Giant Ben.6:14 We are at the half. 14-10 Stillers. The Yinzers are loving it. Ben is showing almost no ill effects of that concussion, and is doing an excellent job of not risking mistakes or getting hit. The key has been Willie being incredibly effective running the football. And of course, the D has really clamped down after an unusually lackluster opening drive effort. Should be a heck of a second half.
6:34 The Steelers absolutely dominate the opening drive, holding the ball for nearly 8 minutes to start the third quarter. Ben hits Heath for 8 yards for a score. That was old school, Bill Cowher era clock control. Nice mixture of runs and passes on the drive, with Heath being a popular target at thend of the drive. That was a statement drive. 21-10 Steelers.
6:41 After a long kick runback, the Chargers run exactly 1 (one) offensive play and it is... INTERCEPTED by Larry Foote, who apparently stole it from James Harrison on the ground. That was HUGE!
6:45 No Brain Norv spends his last challenge despite absolutely no evidence that the pick was even remotely in doubt.
6:46 AHHH! Ben just made me nearly soil myself throwing a crazy block on a Santonio Holmes end around. Listen, Ben, the extra couple yards gained by you throwing that block wasn't even remotely worth the injury risk. Thankfully he's okay. And by the way... it was a SICK block for what it's worth.
6:52 Holy friggin crap! Mitch Berger's punt smacks off the top of some Chargers doofus and is piicked up by William Gay and run into the end zone! Of course, you can't advance a muff in what is a truly strange rule, but still, the Steelers get the ball on what was basically a long offensive play downfield. Crazy day, eh? Ben knocking a punt inside the 10, Mitch Berger turning into an offensive weapon and Ryan Clark taking the snap on a punt. Just weird all around, but the Steelers have a chance to put this game almost on ice here.
7:01 Fourth and goal at the 6 inch line, and the play goes to... Carey Davis?!? He would have been my 8th guess. It goes mostly without saying this didn't work. The Bolts take over. Let's hope for some more Jimmy Harrison end zone magic.
7:08 The Steelers get the ball back with great field position and march down the field thanks to an Eric Weddle PI call. I think that was the same guy who Pele'd that punt to William Gay before. I think he may have money on the Steelers. Ball at the 1 and... Gary Russell into the end zone! Touchdown!
7:24 Chargers strike back for a touchdown, 28-17. This sucker isn't over yet folks. Hold on!
7:41 Okay NOW it's over. Slick Willie caps off a fantastic day by housing a 16 yard run. 35-17 Men of Steel. Okay, this puppy IS over.
7:58 Let's call it a day. 35-17 Steelers win. And with just 2 minutes to spare until the return of the one, the only, the immortal Jack Bauer!
8:00 Beep...Beep...Beep...BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP. (Nothing sends chills through my spine like the "24" clock).
Jack's Back! I'm not going to blog this because, well, it just means too much to me to be distracted. If you want a blog for 24, go here.
10:00 That was so good I think I might smoke a cigarette. Good night all.

Steelers-Chargers Preview

YOU'RE GOING DOWN SAN DIEGO!

The playoffs officially kick off for our beloved Steelers tomorrow at 4:45 at Heinz Field against the late-charging San Diego Chargers. The Chargers are among the hottest teams in football these days, and though I didn't believe in the Chargers for much of the season, I officially became worried about them last week when they knocked off the Colts. What follows is a breakdown of the key matchups in the rematch of the first 11-10 game in NFL history (even though it wasn't really 11-10):The Chargers Offensive Line vs. Dick LeBeau's blitz schemes
The Chargers offensive line put together a nice season this year against blitzing defenses, giving up just 25 sacks all year while guarding the mostly stationary Phillip Rivers. To his credit, Rivers has become quite good at quickly getting rid of the ball while under pressure and not doing the Ben Roethlisberger thing where he puts himself in more danger. In the game earlier this game, the Chargers gave up just 2 sacks to the Steelers line, but Rivers was under consistent pressure. Also, one of those sacks went for a safety for the Steelers. Expect Dick LeBeau to turn up the heat very early on with James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley coming consistently from the outside, and using speed demons like Troy Polamalu and Lawrence Timmons to try to bring pressure from different angles. If the Steelers are able to get after Rivers, it will go a long way toward knocking the Chargers QB out of a rhythm.
Phillip Rivers vs. Troy Polamalu
Expect Troy to be in all his shifting, pre-snap movement glory in this one, doing his best to confuse and confound Phil Rivers and the Chargers offense. Few players in the NFL can wreak as much havoc or getting in someone's head as much as Polamalu. To Rivers' credit, though, he was very, very good this season, and became a better QB than I ever thought he could really be. How Rivers makes adjustments to Polamalu and how he runs the Chargers offense with Troy quarterbacking the D will be of the utmost importance to this game.

Darren Sproles vs. The Steelers Tacklers
Expect Sproles to get the ball in a variety of ways, returning kicks, catching passes in the flat, screen passes, shovel passes, and of course just good old fashioned handoffs. How the Steelers contain this guy will be worth watching. He is your typical scat back type player, and no matter what kind of defense you are, these guys can hurt you at any time. I expect Sproles to be held mostly in check, especially when he's running the ball, but I'm also worried about the possibility of him springing 1 or 2 big plays that could end up sinking the Steelers. The Steelers typically do a spectacular job of containing dangerous players like Sproles, but after watching him last week against the Colts, I think he might be one of the most dangerous players the Steelers have faced all season, and given LT's struggles against the Steelers, his groin injury may be the best thing to ever happen to the Chargers.

Ben Roethlisberger vs. His Concussion
There's no question that one of the ultimate X factors in this game is the status of Ben Roethlisberger after suffering a concussion in Week 17. The history of QB's coming back from concussions after just a couple weeks is...well let's just say it's none too encouraging. Especially when this is the third concussion of their career, as it is with Large Benjamin. Keep a close eye on Roethlisberger's play early on to get an idea of how he is responding to the after effects of the concussion.Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers O-Line vs. The Chargers pass rush
Ben is legendary for his insistence on not throwing the pass away and keeping plays alive. Unfortunately, this often leads to too many sacks, some nasty hits on Ben, and the occassional interception. For the Steelers to win this game, we can't have any big mistakes by Roethlisberger, and given the severity of his concussion, let's hope he's also quick to throw the ball away if he is under pressure to avoid any unnecessary hits. As for the O-Line, they have come under serious fire this season, and will need to really step it up in this game and in any other playoff games the Steelers are in this year if this team is going to have any chance to make a Super Bowl run. The team's best offensive lineman this year has been far and away Max Starks, which speaks for just how weird and disappointing a season it has been considering Starks wasn't even a starter at the season's beginining.

Willie Parker vs. The Chargers Front 7
In their game earlier this season, Parker had one of his best games of the season. With Ben likely to not be operating at 100%, the Steelers would be much better off if Parker can put together another productive day.

The Kickers vs. Heinz Field
The toughest place to kick in the entire NFL figures to be at the height of its power Sunday afternoon in the frigid January weather with the howling Ohio River wind. Jeff Reed has been solid this season, and has just about mastered the ability to kick in these sorts of nasty conditions. This could be a tremendous advantage for Pittsburgh as Reed, with Adam Vinatieri now kicking indoors most weeks, has become probably the best cold-weather kicker in the NFL. San Diego has a very good kicker of their own in Nate Kaeding, but he did miss a field goal at Heinz earlier this season.

Mike Scifres vs. Mitch Berger
Probably the matchup that terrifies me the most. After one of the greatest days you will ever see a punter have last week against Indy, Scifres gives the Chargers defense a tremendous weapon that could just about level the playing field between the two defensive squads. Let's hope the Heinz Field wind somehow neutralizes Scifres and that Berger can at least be competent for the Steelers.The Pick: I can't imagine this one being a high-scoring affair. Both defenses figure to keep the opposing offenses in check for much of the game. And this is only helped by game-time conditions that are expected to be at 25 degrees with winds of 10+ MPH. I think the two squads keep it close for much of the game, and in a season full of them already, I think Ben Roethlisberger, concussion and all, leads the Steelers on a late drive for the win. Steelers 17-14.

2008 Pittsburgh Athlete of the Year

With a New Year now upon us, I thought I'd take a look back at the past year in Pittsburgh sports with a few different angles, the first of which is the 2008 Pittsburgh Athlete of the Year. I used only games that took place in 2008, so that meant having to cut in half the seasons of the Penguins and Pitt basketball. We're gonna count this puppy down, 10 to 1, with a few honorable mentions at the end. I measured it on a sort of MVP basis, factoring a hybrid of the team's success and the player's performance and importance to that team's success. So here we go:

10 Scott McKillop
I was torn between McKillop and James Farrior for the final spot in my top ten, but decided he earned it after earning Big East Defensive Player of the Year Honors, All-American status, a Day 1 draft spot, and being the defensive leader for the most successful Pitt team of the last quarter century. Despite a loss in the Sun Bowl to Oregon State, McKillop's defense was nothing short of spectacular for the final day of 2008. That cemented this spot for the hard-nosed tackling machine.

9 DeJuan Blair
The best basketball player from the 4-1-2 area code in ages had a freshman season to remember, and has stormed back to start his sophomore season with even bigger and better results. He was a huge key to the Big East championship season last season for Pitt, and his work on Roy Hibbert in the title game was wildly impressive. If Pitt could just make it past the second or third round of the NCAAs Blair would become a Pitt legend. Let's hope 2009 sees a jump up these standings for Blair.

8 Marc-Andre Fleury
Fleury was essential to the Penguins' run of success during last year's Stanley Cup final run, and I would argue he was actually the MVP during that stretch. Unfortunately for him, he has been injured for two long stretches, missing just about 3 months of hockey during the 08 calendar. Otherwise he would have been a serious contender for that top spot.

7 LeSean McCoy
The debate over whether LeSean McCoy will stay at Pitt for what figures to be a sensational 2009 Big East season or become a First Round pick in April will rage on until after the deadline for that passes. As a Pitt fan, you have to hope he comes back, but at the same time, it could be tough for him to pass up the guaranteed millions, and surely no Panther fan would blame him for going pro if that's his decision.

6 Sam Young
Sam I Am put together a record-setting scoring pace in the 2007/08 season for the Pitt basketball team, and has continued on that tear to start this season. Young has seamlessly shifted to the small forward position and is poised to make a serious run at a future in the NBA. Young was the star in leading Pitt to the Big East Tournament Championship and remains the most important player for third ranked Panthers. This is a big season for Pitt and for Young, as both need to show they are of high enough caliber to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, and anything less than an Elite Eight or Final Four bid will be considered something of a disappointment. For his part, Young is showing more ability as a leader than ever before, and is certainly much more outspoken on and off the court.5 Troy Polamalu
For the first time in ages, Troy Polamalu spent an entire season healthy, and the difference in him was shocking. He was an absolute force of nature for the Steelers, and I believe he will eventually single-handedly re-define the safety position as we know it. He demonstrated ball hawk skills that only Ed Reed possesses, and is a terror for any QB to see shifting around across the line of scrimmage.

4 Ben Roethlisberger
Yeah the numbers aren't really there like they were a year ago, but there's no denying Ben Roethlisberger's incredible importance to the Steelers. The guy just flat out wins ball games, and that continues to be a trend even while naysayers the nationwide question just how good he is. His fourth quarter comebacks have become near certainties in the postseason. He was disappointing in the lone postseason game of the calendar year, all the way back last January 5th, but he'll be getting another shot in 10 days at Heinz Field, and his reputation as a budding big-game superstar will be on the line as always. The offensive talent and the offensive playcalling that are provided to assist Roethlisberger deserve no part of a 12-4 season and a division title, but Big Ben has lifted this unit to where they are now, even if the defense is really the most important and most feared part of this team.

3 Sidney Crosby
Sid was nothing short of magical in last season's playoff push. He and Geno combined to be a force of nature that no team could match. He has been quite good this season as well, but like teammate Fleury, Sid's candidacy is knocked down a bit due to injury. He has also clearly been the second best player on his own team this season, so its hard to place him a whole lot higher than this. I will be interested to see how Sid plays in the coming months down the stretch run for a Pens team that is having a bit of an identity crisis these days. Another magical playoff stretch would also do a lot to enhance his legacy, so stay tuned folks.

2 James Harrison
It was a tough call to put Harrison at the number 2 spot here, but with little postseason success it's hard to make him number 1. Still, Harrison put up a new sack record for one of the most legendary defensive franchises in NFL History. He's one of the top 2 or 3 favorites for the Defensive Player of the Year award, has back-to-back team MVP awards, and is a lock for another All-Pro selection. Few guys are also as dominant as Harrison can be when he is on a hot streak. He is a little on the streaky side, though, and there are those who will argue that he isn't even the biggest difference maker on his own unit, and that Troy Polamalu is really that guy. Still, Harrison's pass-rushing and athleticism and eye-popping stats make him a very hard figure to ignore.
1 Evgeni Malkin
There's little question that, for the most part, Evgeni Malkin has been better then Sidney Crosby for the 2008 calendar year. The points comparison, partially due to Sid's injury, isn't even close, but even when both are healthy, Geno has easily outscored Sid and everyone else this season. Malkin was huge for much of last season's Stanley Cup run as well, but some illness issues left him hindered and ineffective for parts of the Philly series and most of the Stanley Cup. It's also been a little concerning to see his goal-scoring drop off a little this season. But a year ago the debate over best hockey player in the world would have come down to Sid and Ovechkin and hardly anyone would have thought to even include Geno in that discussion. Now though, it's difficult to imagine anyone but him being the logical choice for that mantle. Much like Sid, it's going to be a very interesting few months for Geno as the Pens gear up for the playoffs and try to get out of the slump they find themselves mired in. If Geno stays healthy and consistent, he figures to put up 120+ points and nab his first Art Ross trophy and maybe even a Hart Trophy to accompany it. Let's hope he adds a ridiculously oversized Cup to that awards list.


Honorable Mention:
Petr Sykora- Petr Gunn has consistently been the third best scorer on the Penguins for the last calendar year, and gets bonus points for one of the most memorable moments in Penguins history with the winner in the 3OT thriller against Detroit.
Ronald Ramon- One of my all-time favorite Pitt b-ball players probably shouldn't make this list, but I just couldn't help myself. And he earned points for the winning shot in the best basketball game I've ever attended.
Hines Ward- One of the all-time great Steelers added to his legacy with a suprising 2008 campaign with over 1000 yards and 80 receptions, as well as picking up his 800th career reception.
Nate McLouth- I wanted to at least put a Pirate on the honorable mention list, and he is really the only acceptable option.
James Farrior- The Steelers' defensive captain started the season with a nice contract extension and had a great 2008 season to reward the Steelers for their loyalty, making it back to the Pro Bowl.