The Smoking Gun

On a day in which the news of a team should have been reserved to the opening of free agency and all it entails; saying goodbye to old faces, and interviewing candidates to fill roster holes, Steeler Nation was inundated with news of another type of hole being filled, as once again, team leader Ben Roethlisberger was accused of sexual assault. This time Big Ben's alleged transgressions occurred in a Milledgeville, Georgia bar, and his accuser had the wherewithal to go the hospital for a full evaluation. Obviously, someone gained some knowledge through the highly publicized 2009 events in Lake Tahoe, and sadly, someone else learned nothing from it.

Although everything is speculative at this point, the reports suggest that the Large One and his posse of oversized jocks were 'mingling' with a group of local hotties, and then at some point, something (and maybe someone) went down in the night club ladies' room.

Again, this blog is not accusing Ben of any wrongdoing, but if he did, in fact, hook up with a local coed skank in a public ladies' room, as his legal team is still wading through the bullshit associated with the Tahoe incident, then it's time for the team to evaluate the cumulative damage of all those concussions that #7 has taken. Clearly, nothing short of brain damage, mixed with a dozen or so Grey Goose and cranberries, could explain such a horrific lack of judgement. This incident could simply prove that while Ben is not a criminal, he is a man who continues to display a lack of discretion.

Let's all hope this all blows over, with or without some go-away moolah from the Large One's wallet. My concern is that while Ben is supposed to be the torch bearer for a once squeaky clean organization, he is, at least in the public eye, steadily digressing into one of those meathead jocks that does what he wants, when he wants, at whatever cost. If the Tiger Woods booty call exposition showed us anything, it's that image does matter once an athlete reaches a certain status.

America is becoming increasingly intolerant of the Charles Barkley philosophy of "I'm not a role model", and let's face it, Pittsburgh is still a small town with small town values. Between Ben's best imitations of Bill Clinton, the police blotter antics of clowns like Jeff Reed and Matt Spaeth, the drug possession by Santonio Holmes, and the domestic abuse incidents of James Harrison and (departed) Ced Wilson, the Steelers are starting to take on an unsavory resemblance to that team in Cincy that we constantly ridicule. But the Bungals are the criminals, and our men are the good guys, because they wear black and gold, right???

This latest drama could very well shape up as another situation of someone looking to cash in on an opportunity, however, should this develop into a criminal matter, the Rooney family could find themselves in another tight spot. Ben is the focal point of this organization, and probably the best player and drawing card the team has seen in 25+ years. If these accusations develop into charges, turning a blind eye, as was done with the Reed and Harrison situations, will once again garner the label of the double standard. The major difference between Ben and guys like Reed and Harrison is that Ben is the man...the leader of this franchise, and regardless of this outcome, he needs to start behaving like it.

For now, it's once again in the hands of those conducting the investigation. The reports out of Milledgeville seem to be mixed, and this Atlanta article takes on a flavor that Ben was just out having a good time. Time will only tell on this matter, but now I know for certain who the Steelers' franchise tag should go to, for his tireless work in the trenches...Big Ben's lawyer.

The Reed Press Conference

Just a quick link to the statement issued by kicker Jeff Reed's lawyer following Reed's community service sentencing. Nothing remarkable in the lawyer's mumbo jumbo, but the true beauty of this video clip is Reed himself. I can't figure out if Reed is really smug, really stoned, or both. Every time I see clips like this I truly ponder what kind of enigma Jeff Reed really is.

Don't Throw Trash At Our Kicker

Western Pennsylvania is about to become a little more litter free as a local judge sentenced troubled kicker Jeff Reed to 40 hours of community service today. Reed's sentencing was a result of his knuckeheaded simple assault and resisting arrest charges, following teammate Matt Spaeth's October public urination booking.

Of course, Reed and Spaeth could opt to take the Role Models route and sign on with Sturdy Wings, as mentors of our youth.

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One can only imagine what benefits Reed's community service will render

Another Great Milestone

another lasting image

Think about Mario Lemieux, think about Wayne Gretzky, aka The Great One, think about all the other great ones that have laced it up and played their role as marketing saviors for the NHL and North American hockey in general. As you consider these guys and their amazing accomplishments for the game, both on and off the ice, now consider the select company that our very own Sid Crosby has placed himself in.

At the ripe old age of 22, Mr. Crosby has added an Olympic gold medal for his mantle place, next to his Ross and Hart trophies, probably right next to the scores of photos of him hoisting the 2009 Stanley Cup over his boyish head. Of course predecessors like Lemieux, Gretzky, and Yzerman were limited by Olympic rules that prevented their involvement until the latter stages of their careers, but give the kid his due. Crosby's heroic overtime goal in yesterday's gold medal game was another entry to his superhero resume, one that our northern neighbors place akin to our own Mount Rushmore athletes like Jordan or Montana. Let's not forget that hockey is to Canandians what baseball was once like to Americans, or what soccer is to most of the rest of the world.

Surely an American gold would have been great, and maybe as equally important as the fabled Miracle on Ice of 1980 (with perhaps slightly less drama), but make no mistake, Crosby's exploits are something that is great for a game that is, at least financially, dominated by the country on the southern side of the border. I can't think of a better time to be a hockey fan, nor a time when hockey had such a buzz, largely impart to Crosby's superstardom.

Of course, yesterday's achievement is not an individual effort, and the entire nation of Canada should be congratulated on this epic victory. For the NHL, the victory was just as large, due to the showcasing of their high profile stars, most importantly the kid who wears the C on his black and gold sweater.

The D Word

Disgusting, derisible, dreadful, disturbing, disastrous. All words that start with the letter D, and all words that can be definitively applied to the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball club over the last 17+ seasons. Oh, did I forget despicable? How about debacle? Doomed?

I think its high time we added delusional to the docket, as team president Frank Coonelly recently used the most divine of all D words in conjunction with his doormat franchise. DYNASTY. Yep, dynasty! This type of delirious depiction dictated from an organization's director is nothing short of dereliction of duty. Certainly, Coonelly, the distinguished dean of Pirate baseball has witnessed the downfall displayed by his organization over the last duo of decades. So, what, pray tell, has Coonelly discovered to deliver this dumbfounding devotion? Who knows, perhaps its his way of deliberately deceiving the demos. Maybe he's on drugs, or perhaps he's been drinking too much Dewar's or Drambuie. Although I can't yet board Coonelly's dray destined for deliverance, I will not demur, as I am decisively determined to stand by my declaration that this season will be one of distinction. As the drama delicately disentangles...

QUICK HITTERS (Sans D words):

• The Pedro Alvarez buzz continues to amplify. The likelihood of seeing Alvarez as a regular on the parent team by July 1 is becoming greater by the day.
• Neat SI article on potential staff ace Ross Ohlendorf. Of course, if recent Pirate history with up and coming aces serves correctly, Ohlendorf will either struggle in 2010, or battle injuries, or most likely, both.
• Wild card Bucco alert: Jose Tabata. Behind Alvarez, Tabata is the best Bucco hitting prospect, and like Alvarez, could be playing alongside Andrew McCutchen soon.
• The closer situation is currently the Bucs' biggest concern. Just read the tagline written by the sponsor of incoming reliever Octavio Dotel's baseball-reference.com page. "Worst closer of all time." An actual committee formed to impeach a relief pitcher??? Wow! Let's hope that Dotel does not make my next drove of D words!

How To Piss Off A Fat Man

Life presents many deep questions. To be or not to be? If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, did it make a sound? Is Lady Gaga really a dude? Add another inquiry to this list. Would you rather have a pissed off Casey Hampton on your roster, would you rather try to financially appease him with a long term contract, at the risk of being saddled with another huge contract doled out to a 30 something defender, or would you rather just move on, leaving a gaping hole in the middle of your once dominant defensive line?

The Steelers' front office is carefully pondering all three scanarios in their most current free agency conundrum, as they consider the use of the franchise tag while they continue to pursue a long term deal. The Hampton situation is one that will surely require front officemen Kevin Colbert and Omar Khan to earn their big boy bucks. This negotiation has more wrinkles than Hampton's enormous belly has stretch marks. The realities are simple: Hampton, a player already noted for an occasionally disagreeable attitude, has made it perfectly clear that he wants no part of the franchise tag. His reasoning, although seemingly greedy, is fiscally sound. At his age (33), a single year deal greatly reduces his opportunity for one last long term deal, and with it the large stack of guaranteed cash that comes via the signing bonus. Coming off another Pro Bowl season, and in decent health, Hampton will most likely never have this roster value again. Should he agree to a one year tender, and then have a unproductive season, or worse, sustain a serious injury, his chances of a juicy long term deal in 2011, at age 34, would be remote.

who wouldn't drop $30 million on this guy.

The Steelers' viewpoint is basically the same, only from the reverse angle. At Hampton's age and mileage, and given the fact that his overall conditioning is, well, less than stellar, it's a safe conclusion that his shelf life of high performance is probably three seasons or less. Let's also remember that Hampton has at least one major knee surgery on the books, and at 330+ pounds, his knees are already under formidable siege. Now the economics kick in. The team is already sitting on long term deals to elder defenders like James Farrior, James Harrison, and Brett Keisel. Guaranteeing mega bucks to yet another gray beard could prove to be financially strapping, if not disastrous down the road. So what does the armchair GM inside you say to do?

The public message that the team continually sends is that one viable course of action is to tag Hampton (most likely Franchise - Non Restricted), and then earnestly work towards a long term deal, like the handling of the Max Starks scenario from a year ago. The big difference between the two situations is that Starks was significantly younger, and the long term deal was much more viable to the team, in terms of recouping the bonus loot.

The Hampton camp appears to be ready for the forthcoming tag, and is now emitting softer messages regarding the potential action. Regardless of what road the team takes, it is critical to the overall success of the defense to get the Big Snack under contract for at least 2010. As said here before, Hampton devours running lanes like they were made of cookie dough, and his loss would be as enormous as his appetite. Perhaps the hidden leverage is that 2010 will most likely be an uncapped year, without a new collective bargaining agreement in tact. Maybe some North Shore hocus pocus can be spun, and maybe a long term deal can be struck with an exaggerated weight (no pun intended) placed on the 2010 season. Who knows? I imagine that by the time you are all in your afternoon drive, the decision will have been announced.

Onwards and Upwards

Although the mission statement of this blog clearly states it's passion for reporting the ups and downs of the Steel City's three storied professional sports teams, it has become commonplace to include early spring articles regarding the most consistent of all Pittsburgh programs: the University of Pittsburgh Panthers Men's Basketball Team.

Following last week's robust performance that included a tough road win over Marquette and a strong victory over Final Four candidate Villanova, the Pitt hoops squad once again galvanized interest and optimism of yet another potentially memorable season. Considering that the team is perched at #12 in the AP Poll with a more than respectable record of 21-6 while in the midst of the so-called 'rebuilding season' following the exodus of both Dejuan Blair and Sam Young, one must now recognize the strength of this program and it's unflappable coach. Ron Cook's recent PG article convincingly argues that Pitt has not only been one of the strongest basketball programs in the Big East over almost an entire decade, they have been one of the toughest and most consistent teams in the nation over that time frame. The fact that coach Jamie Dixon holds the Big East all time league win percentage lead over names like Boeheim, Thompson, and Pitino is a staggering source of pride, and a testament to consistent excellence. Consistent excellence...isn't that a wonderful phrase to have associated with an organization?

With four regular season games remaining against four opponents all located in the bottom half of the Big East, Pitt is once again posturing themselves for an intriguing spring. Where this year's ride ends is anyone's guess. We all know that Pitt tends to ramp it up in the Big East Tourney, only to underachive in the big dance of the NCAA's. The latter is another boogeyman that Dixon will one day confront and overcome. For today, let's embrace my newest 5 cent accolade...Consistent Excellence.