Steelers Clarify Domestic Abuse Policy

The Pittsburgh Steelers made perfectly clear their position and policy towards players who are involved in domestic abuse cases: if you are going to bitch slap your woman, you had better be a Pro Bowler.

It's a rare day that this blog will take pot shots at Chairman Dan Rooney, but his explanation yesterday on why the team released reserve wide out Cedric Wilson, while retaining Pro Bowl linebacker James Harrison, was pitiful (at best). This flimsy and transparent attempt to mask a blatant double standard is already reverberating throughout the national media scene. I can only liken Rooney's cardboard explanation to that of that fat, gay politician that was playing footsie in the airport bathroom, only to explain it away as his typical pooping protocol.

Harrison's public outreach and easy going nature were the factors that prompted Rooney to not take action

Call this what it is. If Wilson had been coming off a 1,000 yard receiving season, or if Harrison was still battling to earn a starting job, the players' fates would have been the same. As much as I love the play of Jimmy Harrison, and as neutral as I am to Wilson's performances, this is a sad day for an organization and family that has stood for fairness and decency for a long time. The Steelers are clocking their bitches at a rate that would even make Ike Turner proud. When you add these two events to the Santonio Holmes domestic violence charges of 2006, you can bet that the Men of Steel will now garner every wife beating nickname and moniker available.

Penny Wise but Dollar Foolish??

Prisco ran a great article last week regarding the pros and cons of these mega dollar NFL free agency signings. The picture at the top...

For the CiffNotes version of this article - when it comes to NFL high end free agency, the bads outweigh the goods. A little blah, blah about how the only game changers that are worth the ridiculous dollars being plunked down on these players are franchise QB's, and realistically, those guys just aren't available via free agency. Hmm, doesn't this sound like the mantra that has billowed out of the North Shore offices for the last 15 years? A great case in point was the mega deal of 1996 that the Jets made to nab the unexceptional Neil O'Donnell. This was the deal that was to change the directions of two teams. O'Donnell started a whopping total of 21 games for the Jets. Even more unremarkably, he NEVER started a playoff game in his entire post-Steelers career. But he did get paid. As far as the whole changing of directions thing...the Steelers were back in the AFC Championship Game in 1997 under the even more unremarkable Kordell Stewart, whilst the Jets would go 10-22 during Mr. O'Dollar's two forgettable years in the Big Apple.

Does anyone else find it comically prophetic that the Jets broke the piggy bank on another Steelers a dozen years later? So, let's fast forward to late November and the Jets are sitting on 4 or 5 wins, a handful of games behind the Pats, and a few games out of Wild Card contention. The now more affluent (and more comfortable) Mr. Faneca decides that he needs to sit out of practice for a week to rest his sore calf. Hell, maybe he even misses a game or two. At what point is Faneca greeted with the cascading of the Bronx cheer as the inevitable disenchantment surfaces? Let's see how forgiving the New Yorkers are when Faneca pulls a false start as his team trails the Pats by three touchdowns. And let me make this clear, he has NEVER sustained this kind of venomous booing from the Yinzers in Heinz Field. You don't need a crystal ball to know that Faneca's honeymoon in the Big Apple may be even briefer than Bobby Bonilla's ill fated free agency flop. So, at what point do the Jets faithful get their first taste of Alan-tude, the salty shit that Steeler fans were served every time Faneca got pissed.

The reality of the situation is that a guard, regardless of his caliber, is not going to change the direction of a team single handedly, and he is not going to provide the impact that the cost warranted. The Jets' players must be sharing this thought as they are already openly complaining about Faneca's hiring. So much for a welcoming committee. Mark my words on this, Faneca's tenure in the Bronx will resemble O'Donnell's. I peg his NY career at three years, with his performance ranging between good and mediocre, given the climate around him. It wouldn't surprise me to see Number 66 moving to a city like Foxboro or Indy or even back to the Burgh in 2011 to finish out his career on a contender. It happens all the time, and Faneca has proven that he is not the kind of guy that can remain content in situations that are less than ideal. Can you blame him...no, he has a ring now he has his bling.

That Was Myron Cope...on Sports

I was in Atlanta covering the Marian Hossa trade when I got the text message that Myron Cope had died. I was a bit numb, as I'm sure most of you were. For those that don't understand the Pittsburgh Steelers Nation, Mr. Cope was an annoying, fringe member of the second tier of American sports journalists. In other words, a household name in his local market, and fairly unrenowned and nameless elsewhere. Maybe a glorified version of the quirky Bill Curry that passed away a month earlier.

For those that are citizens of Steelers Nation, we knew Myron Cope as the spokesman for a generation. We all know that the Steelers did their whole 75th anniversary thing this year, but when we ground ourselves in reality, the true history of our Steelers dates from 1972-ish to the present. There is no voice more suitable to narrate that 35 year living highlight film than that of Myron Cope. No voice was more welcome at the outset of a stadium rocking play, and no voice summized chagrin better after a bone headed miscue. Hence the duality of a die hard fan...the enigma of love/hate.

The beauty of being a local sportscaster is that one can shed some of the required objectivity that national media members must hold. In other words, he or she can actually be a fan of the teams they cover. Myron Cope was a true Steeler fan, and through his passion for the team and the city, he became forever entwined in the lore of both.

Cope is as Black and Gold as those Terrible Towels that he popularized. He's as much of a part of the yinzer culture of the Burgh as a Primanti Bros sandwich or a steaming plate of pierogies in a tailgate lot outside the stadium. I would even go as far as to say that excluding players, the five most relevant figures in our Steelers history would be Dan Rooney, Art Rooney, Charles Noll, Bill Cowher, and Myron Cope. It may come as a stretch to some, but that's how shaping Cope was to Steeler culture.

Cope's naming of the "Immaculate Reception" was as prophetic as it was ingenious. That catch ushered in a new, unprecedented era of enlightenment, salvation, and eventually glory. Myron Cope has been, and will always be, the bantering soundtrack behind this glory. No true Steeler fan can go a single Sunday afternoon without uttering at least a couple Cope-isms...Yoi, The Bungles, Okel Dokel, Doube Yoi, Chaz "the Emperor" Noll,...the list goes on and on.

I had the fortune of meeting Mr. Cope twice. Both times in the same elevator at Allegheny General Hospital, sometime around 1990. He was visiting his ailing wife, and I was visiting my Dad, who was just recovering from open heart surgery. Although the surrounding circumstances were somber and less than ideal, it was a great privilege, nonetheless, to meet such a great and influential man. We will miss you, Myron. Rest in peace. Hopefully, right now, you, Mike Webster, and Art Rooney are enjoying some stogies, a few Iron City's, and reminiscing the 1978 Super Bowl team!

Pittsburgh says goodbye to a great man

Over Time Losses are not Like Kissing Your Sister

Two games, two losses, two points, huh? Welcome to the world of the "three point game", as the guys at Penguin Wire would say. The OTL is another New America way of saying no one's a loser, we're all just special. This is hogwash, a loss is a loss. The Pens are in all actuality, 9-8 since Crosby's injury. Not so bad if you consider you're still plus .500 without your best player, even more impressive when you consider that said best player is also the best player on the planet.

This site, as well as every other Pittsburgh blog has given beaceau props to Geno Malkin, but who are some of the other heroes...



Ty Conklin caught the red eye from Wilkes Barre and now leads the NHL in save percentage. Can anyone say pay raise?



Petr Sykora has added leadership, scoring, and another Eastern European misspelling of an easy name



AND OF COURSE




the picture says it all


For the record, kissing your sister is never a good idea, regardless of how early you started drinking that day....

Unless, of course, you're Brady Quinn

Are You Serious?

Mid February hasn't been the landing zone of sports doldrums in Western PA this year. The Pens are continuing to write a remarkable story, the Steelers have kept our interests with their upcoming draft and free agency strategies, the Pitt hoops teams have us talking (although more profanely these days), then there's the Terrelle Pryor lottery, and wait,...isn't there another team? Oh yeah, the guys down in Bradenton. The Post-Gazette ran a small article yesterday about this marathon pep talk/intervention that the collective brain trust bestowed upon the 65 man roster. For those that really have no desire to click on the link, I welcome the opportunity to translate it for you...

TRANSLATION OF THE PIRATE FRONT OFFICE PEP TALK: ...Guys, the Pittsburgh Pirates are a professional sports organization with legacy dating back well over 100 years. This team has a longstanding tradition of excellence, with championship banners hanging from our rafters, and granite busts adorning the halls of Cooperstown. You, however, are part of the fifteen years of afterbirth that has eroded the great name of this franchise, and transformed this once proud dynasty into the laughing stock that it is today...

FURTHER TRANSLATION (More simplified):...Guys, the Pirates are like that movie about the Titanic. You guys are like that part after they hit the ice berg...

Truly words of inspiration. To continue Mayor McNutting's re-education program, he trotted out the ageless Steve Blass to give yet another motivational speech. For those of you unfamiliar with Blass, he's basically the spokesman for careers that sailed away on the Good Ship Ty-D Bol. Translation: guys, if you keep screwing up, you can wind up with a short lived career, best known for underachievement and regret, just like me. Exactly the message that I would be sending to my troops.



To culminate the mental cruelty, the owners decorated Pirate City's hallowed halls with posters, banners, and memorabilia from the 'glory years'. (sadly, the glory years are now thought of as anything prior to the last 15 seasons of shame). All this, just days after the Bucs inked Byung-Hyun Kim, another 30's something reliever with an E.R.A. hovering around 6 and a stint of stardom well into his rear view mirror. Couple this deal with the blockbuster signing of has-been Doug Mientkiewicz , and you now see that the new strategy is surrounding our young stars with players who can still remember what it's like to win. Some people refer to this sort of thing as a self fulfilling prophesy...

The spring training complex proudly displays this picture of the Bucs' last winning team

MALONE !!!

Philly has Rocky, Pittsburgh has Ryan

A quick tribute to Tony's favorite hockey player, none other than Upper Sinclair's very own Mr. Ryan Malone. The versatile forward's rebound season, driven by his February surge, has him rapidly climbing the list of famous Pittsburgh Malones. (now just narrowly behind the unflappable Mark Malone).

Malone's most recent heroics against Florida have raised his seasonal goal total to 19, just another example of the Penguins doing more with less during Sid Crosby's injury. Tack on a nifty +11, and one must believe that home grown Malone will be challenging Ty Conklin for the Everyman Award.

Malone still tops my list for zaniest facial expressions

Get Wayne Gandy!!!

Remember Wayne Gandy's parting words as he exited the Heinz Field complex in 2002? "You're gonna miss me." (or something to that effect.) Well, maybe Mr. Gandy was no Nostradamus initially, as the team has gone 50-30 with two AFC championship appearances and a Lombardi Trophy in the five years since he's been gone. Five years later, however, the Men of Steel are piecemealing their tin curtain O-line and maybe, just maybe, the newly released Gandy is worth a phone call. Although Gandy is 37 and recovering from a season ending knee injury, one must note that he only missed one game in his previous 13 seasons, and only one start in his previous 12 seasons. Why not let this guy compete with Willie Colon to protect your franchise QB?

Gandy was right, we do miss him

Coming Soon: meet Branden Albert, the man who just might make you forget about Alan Faneca.