Altoona Mirror, December 31, 2017

It's that time of year again -- the last week in the last month.
Time to vacuum the pine needles, hunt for 75% discounts on picked over Christmas merchandise and -- oh yes, thank you, Lord -- send the kids back to school.
But before any of that happens, it's time to tackle the year-end quiz. Look back on the old year and test your recall with the traditional dozen puzzlers. Grab a pair of sharpened No. 2 pencils, and have at it. The clock is now running.
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1. Who had the biggest impact on the Pirates' season?
a. Clint Hurdle.
b. Neal Huntington.
c. Starling Marte's pharmacist.
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2. James Harrison will be remembered for:
a. That 100-yard Super Bowl touchdown.
b. All the sacks.
c. The least-sentimental departure since Todd Graham.
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3. The World Series is:
a. The championship round.
b. The Fall Classic.
c. A myth to any Pirates fan under 45.
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4. What is the nation's biggest problem?
a. Distrust of government.
b. Failing infrastructure.
c. Nobody seems to care about "service fees" added to ticket prices.
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5. What could get Jung-Ho Kang back to the Pirates?
a. Diplomacy.
b. Mercy.
c. Uber.
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6. Pitt signed football coach Pat Narduzzi to a seven-year extension. This guarantees:
a. Stability.
b. Recruiting efficiency.
c. He'll be here for at least two more seasons.
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7. What's the one certain way to embarrass a player?
a. Bench him.
b. Call a penalty on him.
c. Give him an award for cooperating with the media.
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8. What's the one good thing about NFL replay review delays?
a. It gets the play right.
b. It keeps the officials accountable.
c. It gives the Steelers radio crew time to figure out who caught the pass.
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9. What record will never be broken?
a. Cy Young's 511 career wins.
b. Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game.
c. Marvin Lewis' 15 seasons as a head coach without winning a playoff game.
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10. What engineering marvel is being studied at Carnegie-Mellon?
a. Robotics.
b. 3-D printers.
c. Rich Walsh's hair.
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11. You're a old-time Steelers fan if you remember when:
a. Chuck Noll coached the team.
b. Bobby Layne was quarterback.
c. Their games kicked off at 1 o'clock on Sundays.
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12. The Pirates want Gregory Polanco to:
a. Change his training routine.
b. Modify his diet.
c. Stop and ask for directions when running the bases.
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(John Mehno can be reached at: johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com)

Altoona Mirror, December 24, 2017

Andy Williams was right. It's the most wonderful time of the year.
It's a time for family and feasting and fun and this year there's even a full menu of football.
It's been a tradition for several years now to mark the occasion in this corner with a fresh batch of sports-themed holiday songs set to the existing melodies of seasonal favorites.
When the opportunity presents itself, have cousin Anthony get out the keyboard and gather the family to sing along. Hopefully in the spirit of Allan Sherman, Mad magazine and Rege Cordic's Olde Frothingslosh, you'll get a chuckle or two.
Sing these loudly and proudly and have yourself a holly jolly Christmas.
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The New England Patriots seem to be the best team in the NFL. There's little doubt about which franchise is the worst.
The Cleveland Browns set a new standard for futility with their stunningly bad draft decisions, coaching carousel and quarterback roulette.
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(To the tune of "Silver Bells.")

Cleveland Browns,
Football clowns.
Bringing disgrace to their city.
Watch them lose,
That's not news.
It's what they do every week.
Aggravation. Consternation.
Big mistakes by the lake.
In the air there's the vile stench of failure.
Oh they fumble,
How they stumble,
Losing week after week.
Even the Dawg Pound agrees:
Cleveland Browns,
Football clowns.
Bringing disgrace to their city.
There's no spin.
They don't win.
That's just the Cleveland Browns' way.
---

One regular feature of the annual songbook is a recap of the year for Pittsburgh's three pro teams.
That's three stanzas of doggerel for each of them.
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(To the tune of "Deck The Hall")
Pirates' season? Stinkeroo.
Fa la la la la la la la la
Marte failed, and Kang did, too.
Fa la la la la la la la la
Lineup just too short of pop.
Fa la la la la la la la la
Another season was a flop.
Fa la la la la la la la la

Run the bases like they're drunk.
Fa la la la la la la la la
Talk show callers in a funk.
Fa la la la la la la la la
Lots of outrage? I should say so.
Fa la la la la la la la la
They had way too much John Jaso.
Fa la la la la la la la la

Management got brand new contracts.
Fa la la la la la la la la
Seems to contradict the facts.
Fa la la la la la la la la
Need improvement, have to hurry.
Fa la la la la la la la la
Attendance falling, that's a worry.
Da la la la la la la la la

Penguins won, oh how they played.
Fa la la la la la la la la
Lots of beer at their parade.
Fa la la la la la la la la
Crosby, Malkin and Matt Murray.
Fa la la la la la la la la
Nice sendoff for old friend Fleury.
Fa la la la la la la la la

Goalie got that last Cup run,
Fa la la la la la la la la
So long Flower, it was fun.
Fa la la la la la la la la
Teammates loved him, what a guy.
Fa la la la la la la la la
Always tough to say goodbye.
Fa la la la la la la la la

Sullivan is two-for-two.
Fa la la la la la la la la
That is very hard to do.
Fa la la la la la la la la
Three would be a real tough task.
Fa la la la la la la la la
Is it even fair to ask?
Fa la la la la la la la la


Same old Steelers, can't beat Brady.
Fa la la la la la la la la
And Belichick, who's so darned shady.
Fa la la la la la la la la
Ah to beat them would delight.
Fa la la la la la la la la
Until then they're Kryptonite.
Fa la la la la la la la la

JuJu was a breath of fresh air.
Fa la la la la la la la la
Plays the game with quite a flair.
Fa la la la la la la la la
Rode his bike both near and far.
Fa la la la la la la la la
Now he can afford a car.
Fa la la la la la la la la

Shazier is a major worry.
Fa la la la la la la la la
Take your time, no need to hurry.
Fa la la la la la la la la
Rally 'round him, win the big one.
Fa la la la la la la la la
No more Patriots then done.
Fa la la la la la la la la
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Watch a game in any pro sport these days, and you'll have ample time to make a snack run.
There's nothing "instant" about replay or the process to review all the angles and render a decision.
You not only have time to make a sandwich, there may be enough time to bake fresh bread.
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(To the tune of "Do You Hear What I Hear")
Said the referee to the man upstairs.
"Do you see what we saw?"
"Help us out," said the referee:
"Do you see what we saw?
A catch? A drop? We don't have a clue.
And that's why we're calling you.
Yes, that's why we're calling you."
(John Mehno can be reached at: johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com)

Altoona Mirror, December 17, 2017

This is it, the big game.
Big? Forget about that. It's huge, gigantic, immense, enormous, possibly apocalyptic.
At least until the playoffs start.
Post-game traffic patterns could be altered if authorities decide to shut down bridges to prevent the masses from plunging into the chilly waters while shouting epithets about Mike Tomlin.
It's the game that will go a long way toward shaping the AFC part of the postseason, this showdown between the New England Patriots and Steelers at Heinz Field.
When Bill Belichick is scowling in your town, you know it's the big time.
The Steelers don't beat the Patriots often, but they can today.
The formula is simple: Avoid turnovers. Don't give Tom Brady any more opportunities than necessary.
Sustain long drives that keep Brady on the sideline. The biggest concern is probably tight end Rob Gronkowski, who returns from a one-game suspension today.
He's a force, and a favorite Brady target. He's also difficult to tackle. Given the way lesser players have run right through some weak tackling attempts by the Steelers, it isn't difficult to envision Gronkowski roaring through the Steelers defense like a PennDOT truck plowing through a snow drift.
By about 7:30, we should know how this all sorts out. In the meantime, it's OK to be tense.
After all, it's potentially apocalyptic.
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--MISSING PERSON
The Steelers staged alumni weekend a few weeks ago, a chance to welcome the first members of the team's newly-created Hall of Honor.
All living inductees were there with a couple of exceptions.
Terry Bradshaw was busy with his duties for FOX. Who knows if he would have shown up if he didn't have that obligation.
Jack Lambert was missing, too, continuing one of the most interesting storylines from the team's Super Bowl era.
Following retirement, Lambert moved to a rural location and served as a local game warden. Over the years he's developed some reclusive tendencies. He once had a higher profile, playing with a celebrity hockey team that made regular appearances in the region.
Not now. When Chuck Noll died in 2014, Lambert made arrangements to visit the funeral home outside of the open hours. He got a private audience with Noll's family.
He has no-showed most reunions. Spies report he's told the Steelers he wants to be paid for any appearances.
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--WHICH WAY?
Published reports say Pirates general manager Neal Huntington is undecided about his team's chances of being a playoff contender in 2018.
That can't be a good sign.
The Pirates got through MLB's Winter Meetings without doing anything major. They addressed the fringes of the roster by acquiring borderline pitchers and a utility infielder.
Are the Pirates good enough, as currently constructed, to compete in a division with the Cubs and Cardinals? Probably not, and that's why Huntington has doubts.
They need a third baseman. A legitimate spare outfielder would be helpful. What team couldn't use more pitching?
The Pirates are locked into contracts with players who were unproductive last season (Francisco Cervelli, Gregory Polanco). They have players who are approaching free agency (Andrew McCutchen after this season, Gerrit Cole and Jordy Mercer after 2019).
They're stuck in the middle in a variety of areas, including what their GM thinks his approach needs to be.
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--HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Jim Leyland turned 73 on Friday.
It's taken 20 years, but he finally looks his age.
(John Mehno can be reached at: johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com)

Altoona Mirror, December 10, 2017

Within 24 hours after the brutal Bengals-Steelers Monday night game, someone was producing t-shirts inspired by one of the jarring hits.
The shirts -- unlicensed and unauthorized -- had a drawing that showed Steelers rookie JuJu Smith-Schuster standing over Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict. The word "Karma" appeared in large letters.
Burfict was flattened by a block that sent him off the field on a cart and earned Smith-Schuster an NFL suspension for tonight's game.
The moment depicted on the shirt is Smith-Schuster taunting Burfict. That reaction drew criticism from Mike Tomlin, an expression of regret from Smith-Schuster, and lineman David DeCastro's best effort to steer the rookie away from Burfict.
Burfict has been public enemy No. 1 among Steelers fans for some time, a ranking he's earned with repeated cheap shots. He's shown a blatant disregard for the rules and basic professional respect for opponents.
But there's still something fundamentally wrong with celebrating that kind of hit in a game that saw a Steelers player suffer a potentially life-changing injury because of aggressive contact. As Sam Wyche once admonished misbehaving Cincinnati fans, "You don't live in Cleveland."
No doubt the shirts will sell. Some people will probably buy them to give as Christmas gifts. Others will be delighted to find one of the shirts under their tree.
Sometimes there's a blurry line between fandom and fan-dumb.
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The Steelers have had almost a week to adjust emotionally to Ryan Shazier's absence.
Beginning tonight, they move on the challenge of playing without one of their best defensive players.
They've had some injuries here and there this season, but haven't had the devastating loss of a difference maker. Now that's happened.
The defense, a strength for most of the season, has been compromised recently by Joe Haden's absence with a broken leg.
The longer the season goes, the more health becomes an issue.
Beyond the understandable effect Shazier's injury has had on the team's psyche, now there's the practical matter of replacing his production in the lineup.
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Pat Narduzzi signed an extension to remain Pitt's head football coach through 2024.
That's nice, but it really doesn't mean much. Most college coaching contracts don't really matter.
If Narduzzi has great success, a bigger and richer school will come looking for him, armed with a check for whatever the buyout costs. If Narduzzi doesn't have great success, Pitt will probably replace him before 2014. Seven years is a long time in college football.
Pitt signed Mike Gottfried to a unique rollover contract in April, 1988. It was described as a lifetime contract.
Pitt fired Gottfried in December, 1989 as the team was preparing to play in the John Hancock Bowl.
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The Cleveland Browns fired general manager Sashi Brown last week. At the same time, they announced that head coach Hue Jackson would stay on the job, despite a 1-27 record in his two seasons with the team.
It really is the season for miracles.
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You start watching a high school state championship for no good reason. You stick with it because the snow is flying and those are always fun games to watch.
When it's over, here's the takeaway: Games move a lot quicker without replay reviews.
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The Army-Navy game was played yesterday.
Nobody sat during the national anthem.
(John Mehno can be reached at: johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com)
---that's all---

Altoona Mirror, December 6, 2017

It's never a good idea to watch something scary on TV right before bedtime.
But this was Steelers-Bengals from Cincinnati, an AFC North game of some significance in the Monday night spotlight.
It was scary, and not just because the Steelers needed another last-second field goal before they could shake a team that didn't match their skill level.
The hitting was ferocious, as has become the custom when these teams meet.
The most significant injury came early when Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier launched himself into a tackle, then was prone on the field, unable to move.
Teammates were shaken. Shazier was placed on a board and driven off the field on a cart. He bypassed the locker room and went straight to the hospital. Bad omens were piling up.
You had the feeling something really was up when TV cameras caught Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert talking to Mike Tomlin on the sideline. Insiders say Colbert often visits the sideline during road games, but he usually doesn't consult with the head coach while he's there.
Shazier's fellow linebacker, Vince Williams, was in tears. Cam Heyward took the responsibility to talk to Williams and attempt to settle him down.
The game went on. Big plays were made, and mistakes were just as abundant. They played without Shazier, yet his presence seemed stronger than ever. You get back to the game, but you don't move on from what happened.
As this is being written on Tuesday evening, details are sparse. Tomlin, Colbert and chairman Art Rooney II all detoured to the hospital after the game to visit with Shazier.
Shazier's parents and fiance were there, Tomlin said. What he didn't say -- he didn't have to say -- is this was the fear every mother and father feels when they sign that first permission slip for their son to play football.
Parents know what can happen. They pray that it doesn't.
The Steelers have released two statements, both indicating some progress has been made. The team has not commented on a media report that Shazier had movement in both of his legs. That would represent substantial progress in his condition since he was wheeled into the hospital.
Shazier might be fine in a matter of weeks. Or he may never play football again. Nobody knows at this point.
This injury was self-inflicted. Shazier was playing the game at 100 miles per hour, just like he always does.
This time he couldn't get up from the collision.
"It's a tough game, a tough business, man," Tomlin said.
We watch because the athletes are so good. They have incredible skills and an absence of fear. The spectacle draws people to stadiums and their TV screens every weekend.
The Steelers have a family waiting room at Heinz Field. Relatives gather there, waiting for players to emerge from the locker room. The players are often limping after the home games. Sometimes they're bandaged or on crutches. If they aren't, the post-game reunions come with a sense of relief.
Somebody's son or husband or dad spent the day dodging a lot of 300-pound bullets.
Today the Steelers will start getting ready to do it again. They have a Sunday night home game against the Baltimore Ravens, another incredibly intense AFC North battle.
In all likelihood, Ryan Shazier remains in the hospital in Cincinnati this morning.
The players will think about him. Some will call or text him. Then they'll hit that practice field and start working for this week's game, knowing that somebody on either team might leave the field on a cart, bypass the locker room and go to the hospital.
More scary TV to precede bedtime.
Tough business, tough game, man.
(John Mehno can be reached at: johnmehnoccolumn@gmail.com)

Altoona Mirror, December 3, 2017

There are probably more corrupt businesses in America than college sports. Human trafficking comes to mind.
But most of the other slimy pursuits aren't wrapped up in bouncy school spirit, a marching band and officially licensed team apparel.
It's that time of year when coaches who already have lucrative contracts are lusting for jobs they don't have, aided and abetted by university administrators who are looking at the viability of meeting the price of the buyout clause.
Head coaches have long been the highest-paid employees on most campuses. Now the assistant coaches are moving up on that list, too.
Those professors doing scientific research? Yeah, they do good work, but they don't get paid like an offensive coordinator with a good highlight reel.
It's a highly competitive business, and you're not going to last long if you don't compete successfully. And if that means plying recruits with paid escorts or making sure academic standards are fudged? Well, you do what you have to do.
Look up your favorite university and you'll find the won-lost record for the football team a lot faster than you'll uncover the graduation rate. If they do graduate, what does it mean if they accumulated credits on those phantom courses that were part of the curriculum at North Carolina? (By the way, Tar Heels basketball coach Roy Williams didn't know a thing about those courses that didn't exist).
The whole concept of graduation is probably quaint. That doesn't matter when athletes enroll in a school just long enough to catch the attention of pro scouts. The University of Kentucky runs a de facto developmental program for the NBA. Coach John Calipari readily admits his players are temps.
Chip Kelly recently signed on to coach UCLA's football team. ESPN said Kelly had his pick of jobs. Kelly won at the University of Oregon, but left behind a mess that led to NCAA sanctions. One of those penalties prevented Kelly from signing on with another member school for 18 months. It didn't matter because he fled to the NFL.
Soon Kelly will be meeting with UCLA boosters who have check books in their pockets. They won't ask what happened in Oregon. They won't wonder why things went so wrong that Kelly was fired from NFL jobs in Philadelphia and San Francisco.
They'll ask the same question that keeps the system going down the same path: "Are we going to win next year, coach?"
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--CLOSED DOOR
Former Steelers Alan Faneca and Hines Ward are among the finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It's unlikely either will make it this year.
Faneca could be caught in a glut of offensive linemen. He should eventually get in, but it could take a while.
Ward was a solid all-around receiver, but he doesn't have the glitzy numbers that others piled up playing in different systems.
Ward's blocking -- once criticized as too vicious by the Baltimore Ravens -- was an integral part of the Steelers' running game. But some voters don't care. Pete Prisco of cbs.com is on record saying he won't be swayed by any arguments for Ward's blocking prowess.
Faneca's election seems to be inevitable. There is no such feeling in Ward's case.
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--OVERKILL COMING
Any story worth covering is worth over-covering to TV.
When the New York Giants play in Oakland today, Eli Manning will be standing on the sideline as his streak of starting games is expected to end at 210.
How many camera shots will there be on Manning looking forlorn on the sideline?
(John Mehno can be reached at: johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com)

Altoona Mirror, November 26, 2017

The Steelers' Marcus Gilbert was suspended for a quarter of the season last week, and it seemed like nobody noticed.
There was more buzz about JuJu Smith-Schuster's bicycle being stolen a few weeks earlier.
Is failing a steroid test just an occupational hazard that the players accept as part of a difficult job? Gilbert issued a vague statement that suggested it wasn't his fault, and life went on.
If you've seen the physiques of some NFL players, you might suspect a few of them are getting pharmaceutical help. Yes, they work out like maniacs, but it's tough to maintain that conditioning schedule during the season. Do some players seek outside help and hope they can beat the testing procedure?
Every set of tests comes with loopholes, and people who know how to exploit them. Sometimes a player misses, just like a player jumps offside or drops a pass. Things happen.
The Steelers have preached the "next man up" philosophy for years, and that's probably part of it. Chris Hubbard takes Gilbert's spot for the next four games, and he has experience filling in on the line.
Of course, making him the starter robs the Steelers of some valuable depth. The team has been fortunate to this point that it hasn't had the kind of devastating injury loss that tonight's opponent, Green Bay, suffered when quarterback Aaron Rodgers was knocked out by a broken collarbone.
Gilbert, one of the anchors of the offensive line that protects Ben Roethlisberger, is out for four games. That includes the Dec. 17 showdown against New England.
It just seems odd that nobody seemed to be especially alarmed by the news.
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--PITT'S LAST STAND
Pitt had the right idea -- make your last game of the season the best game.
Fans floated out of Heinz Field with "Sweet Caroline" ringing in their ears, musical accompaniment to the warm feeling they had about the Panthers' upset of No. 2 and previously undefeated Miami.
The infamous "U" became "U just got ambushed by a team that didn't do a whole lot right all season," and that's what should be remembered.
Pitt's defense was a season-long disaster. The offense sputtered a lot with three different starting quarterbacks. Freshman Kenny Pickett did a fine job against Miami, but this is a situation for which the phrase "small sample size" was invented.
Pitt doesn't have a bowl game this year, so Pat Narduzzi and his staff can get to work on next season as soon as today.
The head start should help. There's a lot of work to be done.
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--UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Good thing Mike Sullivan has those two Stanley Cup championships on his resume with the Penguins.
Otherwise, fans would be calling for a coaching change as the team has stumbled through the first quarter of the season, hovering around the .500 mark
Sidney Crosby hasn't been scoring. If the Penguins have to worry about that, there will be big problems. Crosby has too much talent and commitment for the slump to continue.
Kris Letang has been a pale imitation of himself. Is that a temporary condition, or are age and his significant medical history becoming a factor?
One thing is certain: The team you see now won't be the team that opens the playoffs in April. General manager Jim Rutherford will make some significant moves if the Penguins can't shake themselves from this malaise.
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--OPENING DAY
Best of luck to the hunters on the first day of buck season.
Everybody else? Stay low and serpentine.
(John Mehno can be reached at: johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com)

Altoona Mirror, November 19, 2017

The buzz after the Steelers' Thursday night win over Tennessee wasn't the season-high 40 points.
Instead, the talk was about the SkyCam view the NFL Network and NBC provided.
Basically the camera hovers above the actual playing field and offers a view that's vertical rather than the traditional horizontal.
It takes some getting used to, and affects depth perception. We're used to watching the ball move left to right (or vice versa) and see the yard markers that way. Minus that perspective, it's hard to tell how deep a running back is at the start of a play and whether he made the first down marker.
The NFL is getting nervous about its failing numbers among younger viewers, and this was a nod to addressing that issue. They emphasized tha SkyCam provided the same kind of perspective a generation has seen while playing the wildly successful series of Madden video games.
At this point, SkyCam probably has more value for replays. It lets viewers see the play unfold, and allows the game analyst to point out blocks that might be less visible from the traditional perspective.
Nobody needed the in-game tutorial about how the process works and the salutes to the techicians who set up and operated the system.
Football is complicated enough without expecting viewers to care about the process that delivers the pictures they see.
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--WALKER ENCORE?
Jon Morosi of mlb.com reprted last week that the Pirates have an interest in bringing back Neil Walker, who is a free agent.
If Jung Ho Kang isn't cleared to return to the United States -- and there's no indication he will be -- the Pirates need a third baseman.
But is that Walker? He came through the minor leagues as a third baseman, but that was a long time ago. He's played just 19 games at third in the major leagues. That doesn't inspire a lot of confidence he can handle the position defensively at age 32.
Walker has missed about a third of each of the last two seasons because of injuries. He's had chronic back problems, which required surgery in 2016.
He can still hit. At this point in his career, he's probably about to transition into a slightly younger version of David Freese. His offense and power potential will probably allow him to command about $10 million per year for two seasons, maybe three.
It's hard to see the Pirates making that kind of commitment in an offseason where payroll is likely to remain the same or be reduced.
Walker returning to the Pirates could happen, but it isn't likely. It doesn't seem possible at all unless there's a corresponding move to drop another significant contract.
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--BAD GUYS
How does the NFL wind up with contrarian owners who would make perfect Batman villains?
It used to be Al Davis with his ornate glasses frame and greasy hair. Now Jerry Jones has taken on that role, featuring the face lift that's a llittle too tight and a possible hairpiece.
Throw in the greedy me-first attitude, and they would be perfect foils for the Caped Crusader.
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--OUCH!
Four cracks at a possible game-winning touchdown from inside the 2-yard line as time runs out.
Failure times four.
Ladies and gentlemen, the 2017 Pitt football season in a nutshell.
(John Mehno can be reached at: johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com)

Altoona Mirror, November 12, 2017

Pitt lost to North Carolina on Thursday night in mostly-empty Heinz Field, and two truths were immediately evident on social media:
1. Pitt needs a new head football coach.
2. Pitt needs a new on-campus stadium.
Pat Narduzzi is the coach, and he was the coach last year when Pitt had a glorious home win over Penn State, then went to Clemson later and knocked off the nation's No. 1 team.
Pitt is losing because there's a shortage of good players. It's OK to hold Narduzzi responsible for that because recruiting is a huge part of his job. He's in his third year at Pitt, which probably isn't enough time to build the base he will need to have.
Narduzzi's sideline demeanor may be an issue. He seems to be raging often, and at the slightest provocation. How can players have poise in tough situations when their coach is 10 yards on the field, waving his arms and ranting like a madman over the slightest issue?
Does all that yelling do any good, or does it lead to stress that creates more mistakes?
Narduzzi is in the potentially awkward position of working for an athletic director who did not hire him, but there's no logical reason to start working on his dismissal papers. The lack of stability is one reason Pitt football has been on the downswing for so long.
Of course, it's easier to change coaches than it is to change addresses.
Talk of building a stadium on campus is insanity. There's no room for it, there's no money for it and there's really no demand for it.
A new stadium is the irrational pipe dream of a handful of hard cores who fantasize about sunny days when old Pitt Stadium was packed. Those were few and far between, and usually limited to opponents whose fans bought plenty of tickets.
If the coaches can't sell recruits on playing in an NFL stadium, they're doing a lousy job. Heinz Field has too many seats for most Pitt games, and that's an ongoing issue.
This is a pro sports town consumed with the Steelers. Even among those who follow college sports, loyalties are divided among Pitt, Penn State and West Virginia (not to mention to ubiquity of Notre Dame's subway alumni).
Winning more games will sell more tickets for Pitt football. A home game against a 1-8 opponent like North Carolina should be an easy victory, not the source of more angst among a fan base that is continually disappointed.
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--MAKING ADJUSTMENTS
If it's taking the Penguins time to figure things out, that shouldn't be a surprise.
Unlike last year, the team had changes in the offseason. It takes time to figure out who the replacements for Nick Bonino, Chris Kunitz, Matt Cullen and Marc-Andre Fleury should be.
The Penguins were lucky last season. The only departure from their Stanley Cup-winning team was Ben Lovejoy, a defenseman from the bottom of the depth chart.
They don't have that luxury this year. Players from significant roles have moved on, and replacing them is a trial-and-error process to some degree.
It could be that general manager Jim Rutherford will have to make further changes via trade, even though salary cap space is tight, as usual.
The Penguins don't have to worry about winning their division or their conference. They just need to get into the playoffs.
They've shown they know what to do from there.
---
--SCANDALS ABOUND
We've seen show business careers blow up overnight because of allegations of unsavory behavior.
Some of the charges are decades old, but that doesn't seem to blunt their impact.
There are a lot of people who have worked in sports and can tell similar stories. If they do, look out.
(John Mehno can be reached at: johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com)

Altoona Mirror, November 5, 2017

As if the Pirates' 2017 season wasn't rotten enough and thankfully buried, there was a post-Halloween haunting.
That came with Charlie Morton pitching the last four innings of Game 7, nailing down the Houston Astros' first World Series championship.
Ouch.
Yes, the same Charlie Morton who alternated brilliance and baffling failure with the Pirates from 2009 to 2015.
He could tantalize skillfully enough to draw comparisons to Roy Halladay. At other times he'd make you wonder what he was doing in the major leagues.
The Pirates tried different approaches with him. None worked consistently. They finally gave up after the '15 season, giving him away to the Phillies to get relief from a contract that had $9 million remaining. There was no outcry when he left town.
Things stayed quiet last season when Morton was limited to four games and 17 innings for Philadelphia by a torn hamstring.
He had a good year for Houston this season, but his postseason magic didn't kick in until the World Series. He made one appearance in the Division Series against Boston and came away with a 4.15 earned run average and 2.077 WHIP. He won a game against the Yankees in the ALCS, but also lost one and wound up with a 7.15 ERA.
Then the magic dust fell on him in the World Series -- one start, followed by the unexpected relief appearance in the deciding game. His ERA was 1.74, his WHIP a microscopic 0.581 over 10 and 1/3 innings.
Did he finally figure things out just weeks short of his 34th birthday? Maybe, but unlikely. It was more like Charlie being Charlie, and being capable of very radically mixed results in a short period of time.
There were always teases, like this sample, grabbed randomly from his 2011 season. He had a stretch of four starts from Aug. 3-20 where he had a 0.95 ERA. In the start before that streak started, he allowed six earned runs. In the start that ended the streak, he gave up five earned runs.
It was always the endless tug of war between Good Charlie and Bad Charlie. You never knew which one would report for work.
Good Charlie showed up big time last week for the Astros. After 10 often frustrating seasons, his timing was finally perfect.
---
--ROSTER MOVE
The Pirates picked up their $14.75 million option on Andrew McCutchen last week.
That still doesn't guarantee he'll play for the Pirates in 2018. Picking up the option means he's their property and they can trade him if the want to.
The belief here is that McCutchen will be on the opening day roster, but won't be with the Pirates beyond next season.
McCutchen had a 50-50 season last year -- three good months and three bad ones. When he's hot, he can still carry the team. He just doesn't get hot as often as he once did.
That's why it makes no sense to extend him, since that additional commitment would kick in after he turns 32. But they need him in 2018.
The Pirates don't have anyone on hand to replace the production McCutchen gave them last season (28 home runs, 88 runs batted in, .849 OPS). Heir apparent Austin Meadows spent much of last season on the disabled list and is no closer to playing in the major leagues than he was a year ago.
Josh Harrison remains the Pirates most valuable and available trade chip as they head into the offseason looking to plug holes that were exposed last season.
Of course, dealing Harrison would spring another leak.
---
--DISRUPTION
No Steelers game this weekend.
Some people are going to have their complaining schedule totally disrupted.
(John Mehno can be reached at: johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com)

Altoona Mirror, October 29, 2017

If Mike Tomlin sticks to his plan, Martavis Bryant will stay on the sideline tonight in Detroit, somewhere between the table full of Gatorade cups and the kicker's practice screen.
(They're letting him make the trip, which makes sense. Imagine what trouble he could get into home alone).
That's his penalty for popping off on social media about being unhappy with a role in the Steelers offense that's smaller than he envisioned.
Bryant really hasn't expressed any remorse over what he did, but he doesn't seem to understand much about this.
ESPN's Josina Anderson apparently had a detailed but unrecorded conversation with Bryant during the week. She said he told her he was concerned about providing for his family.
He had no income last year because he didn't stay compliant with the NFL's substance abuse policy and was suspended. Did that concern him, especially coming after he lost a quarter season's pay for the same infraction?
The Steelers are penalizing Bryant today with the idea it will keep him on the straight and narrow through this season. Then they can get rid of him.
Bryant is a talent, but he's also a headache. They can't get rid of him now because they might need him. An NFL team's fortunes can change dramatically on one play. Just ask the Green Bay Packers, who lost Aaron Rodgers to a broken collarbone.
One awkward tackle and the Steelers might be looking for a No. 1 target to replace Antonio Brown. Bryant is the only one on the current roster who might be able to fill that assignment.
So while the Steelers are playing the Lions, Bryant will have time to think about things.
Perhaps for the first time.
---
--PROTECTIVE INTEREST
One of the biggest mistakes Bryant made was disparaging rookie receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster in an online post.
It's always bad form to rip a teammate, and he picked an especially sensitive target. Smith-Schuster is 20 years old, the youngest player in the league. Teammates have come to look at him as a little brother. Bryant's harsh words upset his teammates as well as his bosses.
---
--BRAIN CRAMPS
There was plenty of stupid to go around last week, so Bryant's headlines didn't last long outside of Pittsburgh.
--Houston Texans owner Bob McNair said "We can't have inmates running the prison," in reference to the national anthem protests.
McNair, 79, will probably spent the rest of the his life trying to back off that statement, and it will still be part of his legacy.
Very wealthy guy let the employees know what he thinks of them.
--Houston Astros outfielder Yuli Gurriel celebrated his World Series home run by making a racially insensitive gesture that seemed to slur Japanese-born Dodgers pitcher Yu Darvish.
Hitting a home run in the World Series isn't its own reward? Now a hitter needs to mock the pitcher, too?
---
--MORE CHOPPING
It was reported last week that ESPN is a month or so away from another round of personnel cuts.
This slashing is projected to claim 40 to 60 jobs, split among on-air performers and support staff.
You may recall that ESPN had a massive staff reduction over the summer that eliminated a number of familiar names and faces including NFL guru John Clayton, a Pittsburgh native.
When it's all said and done, will we get even more low budget shows that feature people screaming at each other?
---
--THE VERY LATEST
KDKA-TV had the recovery of JuJu Smith-Schuster's stolen bicycle as "Breaking News."
When it comes to the Steelers, we're Mayberry.
(John Mehno can be reached at: johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com)

Altoona Mirror, October 22, 2017

We're still a month or so away from ski season, but I'm going to head down this particular slippery slope anyway.
Official disclaimer: This is not a political statement or column. This is still the sports section, and let's give thanks for that.
But...
Before Donald J. Trump became this great nation's 45th President, he was a businessman and entrepreneur who cultivated and enjoyed a high profile. One of his investments was a franchise in the United States Football League, which started operating in the spring of 1983.
The USFL was designed to cash in on the popularity of pro football without competing directly with the established NFL. The USFL season started in March and ran through early July, filling the months of the NFL's offseason.
Pittsburgh got a franchise in 1984 when the DeBartolo family invested in the Maulers.
The USFL may have continued as an adjunct to the NFL, but some of the USFL owners had the flawed idea to compete more directly with the NFL. The planned to run a fall schedule, which would go head-to-head with the NFL.
That was undoubtedly a suicide mission, but there may have been a hidden motive. Most upstart leagues are created with the idea of forcing a merger with the established league. It worked for the AFL (football), for the ABA (basketball) and to a limited degree for the WHA (hockey).
It's a chance for the investors in the new league to get admission to the big league at a bargain price.
The USFL sued the NFL on antitrust grounds, claiming that its contracts for TV rights and stadium leases represented a monopoly. The USFL won the case on principle, but the judgment was for a token $1. Yes, that's $1 as in the four quarters you have in your pocket. (It was actually tripled to $3 under antitrust regulations).
The USFL had been aiming for $567 million, which would have been tripled to $1.7 billion. The award they got wouldn't even cover the cost of seeing a movie matinee. The USFL went under instantly.
One of the owners who was most bullish about aggressively taking on the NFL was Donald J. Trump of the New Jersey Generals.
That's the same President Trump, who won't let go of the national anthem protest issue and takes every opportunity to blast the NFL. Critics argue the 45th President has problems staying on point, but he seems to be pretty well centered on this issue. The anthem protest controversy had faded away until Trump made incendiary comments about it in September.
Does the whole matter have its roots in an embarrassing defeat in the courts decades ago? Is this really based on a battle between competing pro football leagues? Is this a grudge that he won't let go?
His zeal for this issue makes you wonder.
---
--CHEERLEADERS
Baseball has changed in a lot of ways, and one of them has been on display in the postseason.
Players feel comfortable jumping the rail in front of the dugout to spill on the field and celebrate good things. They're out there dancing and fist pumping, blatant actions that would have gotten somebody knocked down in a different era.
Then again, players on the bench used to wear classy-looking satin jackets. Now they're in hoodies, so the manager looks less like the guy in charge and more like someone headed to Home Depot on a Saturday morning.
---
--IS THAT IT?
Le'Veon Bell had the whole offseason to plan a touchdown celebration. And all he could come up with was turning the goal post padding into a punching bag?
Weak.
---
--SAFE BET
The Cincinnati Bengals are in town for this afternoon's game against the Steelers.
What is the over/under on Vontaze Burfict's penalty yardage?
(John Mehno can be reached at: johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com)

Altoona Mirror, October 15, 2017

Replay in baseball became a good idea around the time that Jerry Meals blew an easy home plate call and cost the Pirates a game.
If everyone could see it was the wrong call, why not correct it? Even Meals admitted his mistake the next day, long after it was too late to do anything about it.
So with that call, and others just as egregious, embarrassing the game, MLB decided to do something about it. Instead of endless arguments, go to the video. The umpires get on a headset to New York, where a different crew of umpires reviews a play that's been challenged.
Makes perfect sense. But now the reliance on technology has gone too far, as we saw in the deciding fifth game of the National League Division Series.
Washington was threatening with runners a first and second. Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras snapped a quick pickoff throw to first base, where Washington's Jose Lobaton was ruled safe.
The call looked good. Lobaton clearly beat the throw. With nothing to lose, the Cubs challenged the call, and they won big.
When the video was slowed to a crawl, it showed Lobaton's foot losing contact with the base for a split second. First baseman Anthony Rizzo's tag was still on Lobaton. The call was reversed. Lobaton was called out.
Inning over, rally over, and the series was also essentially over for the Nationals.
By the letter of the law, the reversal was correct. By the spirit of what replay is supposed to be, it was an impossibly nitpicky call.
Lobaton was a fool for getting far enough off the base for there to have been an issue. Bad play on his part.
But he beat the throw back. An expert in physics can explain why his foot became disengaged from the bag for a blink, but that shouldn't have been the deciding factor.
It took a magnifying glass to make the call, and it shouldn't be that way.
Let replay correct the big and obvious mistakes, like the one Meals made against the Pirates.
For the ones that need the most minute technological review to reverse, let the umpire's call stand. It's a baseball game, not a CSI case.
---
--ALUMNI DAY
Santonio Holmes stopped by the Steelers offices last week for a brief ceremony that allowed him to retire as a member of the team.
Holmes last played in the NFL three years ago, and hasn't worn black and gold since 2009. He was part of the second-greatest play in franchise history, the leaping catch in the corner of an end zone to win Super Bowl XLIII.
But he was gone a year later, sacrificed to the New York Jets for a fifth-round draft pick. His game was still fine; he'd had his best statistical year in 2010. Holmes had just become too much of a pain in the neck to keep around.
It was never anything that big -- a couple of marijuana incidents, accusations of a domestic dispute, run-ins with police. But it was enough to lead the Steelers to give away a former No. 1 draft pick.
However, there he was last week, smiling with Art Rooney II and Mike Tomlin, reminiscing about his happiest days in the NFL.
Memories really are selective. Should we now await the Plaxico Burress retirement ceremony?
---
--ULTIMATE WALK OFF
Friday was the anniversary of Bill Mazeroski's home run that won the 1960 World Series for the Pirates.
We still don't know what the exit velocity was, but it counts anyway.
(John Mehno can be reached at: johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com)

Altoona Mirror, October 8, 2017

The tough thing about covering the NFL is that once a week schedule, which means large shovels are often needed to fill all the 24-hour news cycles between games.
From one Sunday to the next, there's a lot more talk than action. That's why you get stuff like "keys to victory," which usually starts with the combination of "establish the running game" and "control the running game." True confession: I haven't read a "keys to victory" filler in decades, so I'm going from memory.
The NFL has its own TV network jammed with shows that fill time until there are actual games to dissect and real-life highlights to show.
That's why people who purvey words were secretly delighted last Sunday when Antonio Brown pitched a fit on the sideline in Baltimore. He flung an empty Gatorade cooler (you try to move one of those when it's full) and then pulled angrily away from offensive coordinator Todd Haley, who tried to cool things down.
Brown was hot because Ben Roethlisberger failed to notice he was wide open for a potential touchdown. His display of temper essentially showed up the quarterback by calling attention to the oversight. It was "Hey, look at the mistake Ben made."
Bad stuff. Bad for morale. Selfish. Depending on your perspective on Brown, it was possibly oh so A.B., a hopelessly me-first guy who tries to keep those traits under wraps as much as possible.
In reality, it was a gift from above for those who have to comment on pro football matters between games. Roethlisberger and coach Mike Tomlin had their say on Tuesday.
The issue got more life because of Brown's totally arbitrary policy of restricting his media availability to Fridays during the season. That kept the flame flickering for an end-of-the-week blowout, which left just one more day for everyone to deduce the keys to victory.
We're told that things are fine now, and that's all well and good. The tempest served its purpose.
It was an annoyance for Roethlisberger, an embarrassment for Brown, a distraction for Tomlin, and a blessing for the people who would otherwise be looking for variations on "establish the running game/control the running game."
---
--BLING IS THE THING
Those massive diamond-crusted Penguins Stanley Cup rings are serious pieces of jewelry.
They are also something no hockey player will ever wear in public. Sidney Crosby will wear that ring on his grocery store run right after he dyes his hair purple.
As the rings get bigger and brighter every year, it also becomes more apparent they'll stay in bank vaults after the initial presentation and photo op.
Seems like it kind of defeats the purpose.
---
--SPECIAL GUEST
Before the Pirates adjourned for the offseason, they got into some mildly hot water with MLB over inviting Wiz Khalifa to throw out the first pitch before a late-season game.
Khalifa is the Pittsburgh-rooted rapper whose career is based largely on the glorification of marijuana use.
He showed up at PNC Park wearing a t-shirt that read, "Legalize It." Before he threw the pitch, he pantomimed a man smoking a joint. Then the artist whose releases include "Rolling Papers," "Weedmixes" and "Wake and Bake" made his cameo appearance.
MLB didn't think much of the Pirates' judgment in extending the invitation, and sent along an official but mild reprimand.
Oh well. At least they offer those all-you-can-eat seats for Wiz followers with a serious case of the munchies.
(John Mehno can be reached at: johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com)

Altoona Mirror, October 1, 2017

The Pirates drop the curtain on a second straight disappointing season today, one that keeps them south of .500 again.
Culprits abound, but the biggest reason the Pirates were a non-factor was their offense.
Some of the young starting pitchers sputtered on fumes at the end, but they weren't the problem. In fact, they offered hope.
The bullpen had to be rebuilt with significant changes made on the fly, but that settled down, too.
Truth be told, though, the young pitching is a significant asset, both for trying to build a contender and to have as trading stock to fill other holes.
As noted here previously in detail, the Pirates got no better than 50 percent production from the projected 2-3-4-5 spots in their batting order. That's going to lead to a lot of dreary nights, and the Pirates had them in abundance.
Starling Marte will be better. Gregory Polanco had better be. There's still some life in Andrew McCutchen, and there's still a year on his contract. If Jung Ho Kang can't make it, the Pirates need to find a legitimate replacement.
This is not a "blow it up and start all over" proposition.
---
--THREE THOUGHTS ON THE PIRATES
Three other things on the Pirates:
--Two questions (with answers provided):
1. Should the Pirates pick up McCutchen's 2018 option at $14.5 million?
Yes.
2. Should they sign McCutchen beyond 2018? No.
--Here's how long a baseball season is: Remember when Gift Ngoepe reaching the major leagues was a big deal?
--As AT&T SportsNet searches for a new analyst to replace the retiring Kent Tekulve on Pirates broadcasts, there's one contemporary name who might be interested.
Jason Grilli bought a house in the leafy green northern suburbs with the idea of landing some broadcast work here after his pitching career ended.
---
--OFFENSIVE PENALTY
Because there are 800 or so college football games being broadcast by someone every Saturday, the depth of the announcer pool gets tested.
Former NFL player Takeo Spikes was the analyst on the ACC Network's Rice at Pitt. Spikes may not be the biggest name, but he's not as anonymous as some of the guys working the games from the lower part of the barrel.
Thanks to technology, any announcer willing to make the effort can pretty well get caught up on whatever team he might be covering. Then there are those late-week meetings with the coaching staffs, which get constantly referenced throughout the broadcast.
But in one cringe-inducing click-by caught on Saturday, football wasn't the issue with Spikes. English was.
He managed to combine a "has ran" and "have went," a 1-2 that should have gotten him detention in the classroom instead of a job in broadcasting.
---
--STEELERS STUMBLE
A lot of people (including my cousin Mike in Texas) took last Sunday's loss in Chicago as more evidence of a Mike Tomlin-coached Steelers team losing to an inferior opponent.
Could be. But three games in, Le'Veon Bell, Martavis Bryant and Ben Roethlisberger have not been playing at levels less than expected from them.
---
--SO LONG, TEKE
Enjoy your new life, Kent Tekulve.
When a guy is 70 and a transplanted heart is giving him a precious second chance, he doesn't need to be sitting around a TV studio at midnight waiting out the rain-delayed finish of an 11-2 game that everyone else has abandoned.
(John Mehno can be reached at: johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com)

Altoona Mirror, September 24, 2017

Sports statistics are everywhere. The explosion is so profound, we're all lucky decimal points are round and less dangerous as shrapnel.
When Bob Prince called the Pirates games a million years ago, he wouldn't even give a batting average for the first six weeks of the season. Instead, he'd offer a speech about how the averages jumped around so much that they were meaningless that early in the season.
He was espousing the idea of "small sample size" without ever meaning to. The Old Gunner's idea of small sample size was a shot glass only half filled with vodka, but forgive the digression.
Given Prince's minimalist approach, it's easy to understand why the audience was so jolted when Milo Hamilton replaced him. Milo loved numbers like a CPA, and had a compulsion to share them.
He would not only tell listeners what Phil Garner was hitting on April 14, he would break it down into lefthander-righthander, home-road, starter-reliever and whatever other categories were handy.
Computers and independent researchers made the numbers expand. If there wasn't a stat to illustrate the point, they would create one. Welcome, WAR, OPS, WHIP and all their upper case brethren.
Some of them have fallen into common use while others remain arcane.
NFL broadcasts now bombard viewers even though the sport is more of a collaborative effort than baseball and doesn't have the constant one-on-one drumbeat that establishes a context.
The Steelers play in Chicago today and one of the local TV guys somberly noted that the Bears hold a 12-1 edge in those games, "all-time." It really is "all time," a time when George Halas prowled the sideline, when Gale Sayers galloped through a lousy Steelers defense and Dick Butkus frightened Steelers linemen with his savage approach to the game.
None of that will have any relevance today, considering that Halas died in 1993, Sayers retired because of hopelessly wrecked knees almost 50 years ago and Butkus is still mean but wobbly as his 75th birthday approaches.
If the Steelers have any problems with the Bears today, dusty ghosts from old ledgers won't be among them.
---
--ON THE MEND AGAIN
When you have one of those seasons where very little goes right, even the smallest details work against you.
The health care giant that partners with the Prates has been running commercials for a lot of the season. They brag about how the group's superior care is helping to keep injured players like Francisco Cervelli and Josh Harrison on the field.
Both Cervelli and Harrison are finishing the season on the disabled list.
---
--SIMPLY THE BEST
Nobody does PR like Sidney Crosby.
Every year, he drives to the home of some Penguins season ticket buyer to deliver the tickets. He says hello to everybody, he signs autographs, he poses for pictures, he goes out in the driveway and plays street hockey with the kids.
He would probably edge the lawn if someone asked. He just does it. He never tells the Penguins, "Aw, Kris Letang can do it this year."
For all of the marvelous things he's done on the ice, his most amazing feat is getting through 12 years of a very public life without one behavioral misstep.
Credit to him, obviously, and to his parents, Troy and Trina Crosby.
(John Mehno can be reached at: johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com)

Altoona Mirror, September 17, 2017

There's no way to spin anything good out of being on the wrong end of 59-21 score, as Pitt was against Oklahoma State on Saturday.
--Pitt apparently has two quarterbacks, senior transfer Max Browne and redshirt freshman Ben DiNucci. It's true what they say: Teams with two quarterbacks really don't have a quarterback.
If Browne can't get the job done, it doesn't make much sense to play him given that he won't be around after this season.
--It doesn't matter who the quarterback is if the Panthers miss as many tackles as they did in staking Oklahoma State to a 21-0 lead.
--Nobody seems to know what Jordan Whitehead did to earn a suspension from the first three games. Like most schools, Pitt didn't stray from the standard "violation of team rules," which can cover anything from being late for a meeting to grand theft auto.
But it must have been significant for coach Pat Narduzzi to sacrifice one of his best players for three games, including Penn State.
Whitehead can't get back soon enough, considering that Pitt allowed 516 yards of offense in Saturday -- in the first half.
--By the way, 516 yards was the distance some fans could walk to a restaurant and enjoy a good meal while they skipped the second half of Saturday's debacle.
---
Three thoughts on the Pirates:
--Offseason attention will be focused on whether the Pirates decide to trade Andrew McCutchen and forgo the last year of his contract.
But the more appealing trade chip the Pirates hold is Josh Harrison. He's more attractive because of the versatility that makes him a great fit for a contender.
He is scheduled to make $10.5 million next year, the same amount he's guaranteed for 2019. Then there's a final year where he will be paid $11.5 million at age 33.
Those amounts wouldn't make a team like the Boston Red Sox blink, but they're significant in Pittsburgh.
The question is whether the Pirates could trade Harrison and cover second base with a combination of Adam Frazier and Max Moroff. Frazier's defensive shortcomings would be a particular concern.
--If Elias Diaz is going to take a bigger role at catcher next season, he has to get much better at blocking pitches in the dirt. Somehow Diaz has spent nine seasons in the organization without mastering that basic skill.
--General manager Neal Huntington has had a bad year. It got even worse with the decision to drop Drew Hutchison from the 40-man roster, which is the first step toward letting him look for an opportunity elsewhere.
The Pirates paid Hutchison $2.3 million to pitch at Class AAA. They thought he might be the only useful asset in last year's trade that sent Francisco Liriano to Toronto. Instead, to get relief from Liriano's $14 million price tag, they also parted with two non-prime prospects (Reese McGuire and Harold Ramirez) and paid Hutchison about $3.26 million to do nothing over two seasons. Ouch.
---
Because the NFL assigns every team a Thursday night game that most people don't watch, the Houston Texans played at the Cincinnati Bengals on NFL Network last week.
Viewers would have been better off chasing down some "I Love Lucy" reruns if they wanted to be entertained.
The performance was so bad that the Bengals fired their offensive coordinator the next day. It was the first correct call they've made this season.
The worst part? Bengals serial miscreant Vontaze Burfict was suspended, so that lessened the chances an attention-diverting riot might break out on any snap.
(John Mehno can be reached at: johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com)

Altoona Mirror, September 10, 2017

There's a full NFL schedule today, which means the potential for national anthem protests is abundant.
Here's the thing about the perceived sanctity of the anthem: It was purged from most sports broadcasts years ago.
Unless it's a celebrity performance or some other special occasion, you're not going to see or hear the anthem. If it gets on the air, it was probably a mistake in timing.
On most football and baseball broadcasts,  the anthem is scheduled for a time when the radio and TV audiences are either listening to a taped interview or commercials.
Basically, the anthem doesn't matter to them unless it's a basis for a protest.
Comedian Robert Klein years ago said the importance of the anthem was as a timing device. At, "Oh say can you see...." fans at the venue reflexively knew it was time to either hit the rest room or the beer stand because kickoff was near.
Would people miss the anthem if it weren't played? Probably not. Most aren't paying attention.
Maybe that's the unintended consequence of what Colin Kaepernick has brought to the NFL. He made the national anthem relevant at NFL games.
---
--ADVANCED CHEATING
The Boston Red Sox were busted last week, caught stealing the New York Yankees' signs by using an Apple watch.
Only the technology changes. Cheating has been part of sports forever, but now devices make it more convenient.
When the Pirates' Harvey Haddix pitched 12 perfect innings in Milwaukee in 1959, he discovered decades later that the Braves were stealing catcher Smoky Burgess' signals throughout the game. Someone in the bullpen had binoculars and would focus on Burgess.
The spy would hang a towel on the fence (or not) to let the batter know if the upcoming pitch was a fastball or breaking ball. Even when they knew what was coming, the Braves couldn't touch Haddix that night.
So now the crimes are being aided by technology. A St. Louis Cardinals executive was sentenced to prison after he admitted to hacking the Houston Astros' scouting files. A producer on Penguins telecasts got in trouble with the NHL when he declined to use a replay because it showed an angle that would have overturned the call to the Penguins' detriment on a replay challenge.
Apple watches? Makes the New England Patriots' use of video tape to capture opponents' sideline signals seem so 1990s.
---
--ONE MORE CHANCE
It wasn't a big story, but the Penguins' hiring of Kevin Stevens to their scouting staff last week was significant.
Stevens' life since he was a standout on the Penguins' first two Stanley Cups has been a train wreck. He suffered a devastating injury when he crashed face-first to the ice in the 1993 playoffs.
He was never the same player after the facial reconstruction surgery. He developed a dependence on drugs that cost him his career and estranged him from family members. He was done as a player when he walked away from the Penguins during a trip to Buffalo.
He worked as a Penguins' scout once before and did a good job. But his inability to focus led him to leave and find more drug-related trouble.
Now he's back, getting another chance at 52.
Stevens owes this job to Mario Lemieux.  Lemieux won't give up on Stevens, even though others may have.
There have been jokes on the Internet for a long time about "F.O.M," which stands for "Friends of Mario." Pierre Larouche is a charter member.
It's no laughing matter to Lemieux, who takes care of people he values. When the decision was made to drop Paul Steigerwald from the broadcast team after more than 30 years, Lemieux didn't overrule his people. But he did make sure there was another job for Steigerwald in the organization.
Kevin Stevens can be grateful for his membership in "F.O.M."
(John Mehno can be reached at: johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com)

Altoona Mirror, September 3, 2017

The Steelers made the splash of the week by signing cornerback Joe Haden shortly after the Cleveland Browns released him.
There are a couple of ways to look at this.
1. The Steelers were able to acquire a quality player to beef up their iffy secondary.
2. The Steelers are so concerned about their secondary that they're willing to take a chance on a guy the Browns didn't want.
The truth is probably somewhere in the middle. The secondary could use an upgrade, and Haden is a two-time Pro Bowl player. Steelers offensive players have talked about what a difficult opponent he was.
Being discarded by the Browns is not necessarily a negative, given that franchise's long history of questionable personnel decisions. The administrators change, but the mistakes continue, like wasting a first-round draft pick on Johnny Manziel.
That was a train wreck most NFL teams spotted from a mile away, but the Browns thought an erratic, unfocused player with significant off-field issues was the man to lead their offense. By the way, quarterback shoppers, Derek Carr was available when they drafted Manziel.
But this isn't about beating up the Browns, no matter how much fun that is.
Haden comes with a certain amount of risk. He had groin surgery in the offseason, and a cornerback needs to be able to run in quick bursts.
If he's healthy, it's hard to imagine he can't help, given some of the dubious talent the Steelers have on the secondary depth chart. The front seven of the defense is fine. The line is strong, and it's encouraging that the linebacking corps seems to be less dependent on 39-year-old James Harrison. That has to be good.
The secondary needs the help, and general manager Kevin Colbert didn't waste any time, grabbing Haden for three years and $27 million.
They've addressed a weakness. We'll find out soon if they've solved the problem.
---
--WEARING DOWN?
The Pirates are skipping Ivan Nova's scheduled start on Tuesday. Nova has been awful since mid-June, and Clint Hurdle thinks fatigue is an issue.
Fatigue? Could be. He's pitched 168 and 2/3 innings, already the second-highest workload in his major league career.
Nova was fine for the first two and a half months. There was even briefly talk of his being selected for the All-Star team. His three-year, $26 million contract looked like smart business.
But it's been consistently downhill since then. Can he rebound? If he doesn't, have the Pirates invested $26 million in a long reliever?
---
--FINALLY ENOUGH
Sports Illustrated reported last week that FOX plans to drop Pete Rose from its postseason baseball studio team.
Rose has worked for the network for a couple of years, filling a role as a grumpy curmudgeon who entertains the other panelists with his old school observations. A bow tie and his bad dye job just add to the oddball persona.
But they'll apparently carry on without him, the result of Rose's being implicated in an inappropriate relationship with a minor. It has been alleged that during his playing career, Rose carried on a romantic relationship with a high school student. It has been reported that she was 14. Rose countered that she was 16, the age of consent in Ohio.
At the time, Rose was a 34-year-old married father of two.
So those allegations were finally the breaking point for FOX. He bet on baseball? They didn't care. He lied for more than a decade about betting on baseball? They didn't care. He operates an autograph-selling business where, for an extra fee, he'll add the wise guy inscription, "I'm sorry I bet on baseball." They didn't care.
Finally there was something even FOX couldn't overlook.
(John Mehno can be reached at: johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com)

Altoona Mirror, August 30, 2017

Now we know who the Steelers will induct into their new Hall of Honor.
Just about everybody.
The inaugural class was announced Tuesday, and there were 27 names -- 23 Hall of Fame members and four others.
It says here that was a mistake.
The first class should have been special, and that means it should have been limited.
The first class should have had five members:
--Franchise founder Art Rooney, Sr., who used his own cash to keep the franchise afloat through lean years and kept it in Pittsburgh despite tempting offers from other cities.
--Dan Rooney, whose stewardship led directly to Super Bowl championships and a new expectation of excellence.
--Chuck Noll, the coach who tore apart a perennial doormat and coached the team to four Super Bowls in six seasons.
--Joe Greene, the first draft pick in Noll's administration, and the key player on a defense that dominated the NFL and turned the Steelers into a championship team.
--Franco Harris, the 1972 draft pick who put the rapidly-improving Steelers over the top and keyed an offense that didn't have much of a passing game. He also provided the most important play in Steelers history.
That should have been it for the first group. There's a certain distinction in being part of the first class, and those five individuals deserve that special designation.
There were other great players, and other important people. But the five named above all have a special place in the history of the Steelers.
By inducting all of the Hall of Fame members, it makes Kevin Greene seem as important as Joe Greene. That's ridiculous.
Kevin Greene was a good player who was elected to the Hall of Fame. He played for five teams in his 15-year NFL career. He spent three seasons with the Steelers.
Joe Greene and Harris had more Super Bowl seasons with the Steelers than Kevin Greene had total seasons.
He probably belongs in the Hall of Honor (emphasize probably), but not in the first class.
Andy Russell is a worthy choice, a Steeler for life and one of the few holdovers from then pre-Noll era. He has been overlooked by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and that's a shame.
But he shouldn't have been in the first class. When you think of the most important people in Steelers' history, Russell is not a name that immediately comes to mind.
Why induct so many members immediately? Who gets honored in future years? There is a waiting period, so players like Hines Ward and Troy Polamalu, automatic choices, are not yet eligible.
Ben Roethlisberger will be there some day. Probably Antonio Brown and James Harrison, too.
But what's wrong with saving some of the old-timers for future classes? Limit the groups and give each member a special moment rather that being part of a roll call.
Being part of the first class should have been a special distinction. Instead, the most important people are part of a busload of players, a few of whom were just passing through. John Henry Johnson spent just half of his Hall of Fame career with the Steelers and had two exceptional seasons. He belongs, but not now.
Even Rod Woodson spent eight full seasons with the Steelers, and seven seasons with three other teams. He could have waited, too.
Five people deserved to be apart from the group for the first induction.
Instead, they're part of a busload.
Fumble, Steelers.
(John Mehno can be reached at: johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com)

Altoona Mirror, August 27, 2017

There's no mystery about what Le'Veon Bell's end game is. He wants to be paid a lot of money.
He's not wrong about that, either. If he's not the best running back in the NFL, it wouldn't take long to list the ones who are ahead of him.
He's cornered in a situation where the Steelers have designated him the franchise player. His options are to sign a contract for $12.1 million or stay home and make nothing while forfeiting a year of a career that skews toward younger players. He'll sign.
According to his brief response to a social media post, Bell will report on Sept. 1, which is a little more than a week before the Steelers open the season in Cleveland.
Waiting this long apparently sends a message he's anxious to deliver, but it ultimately does him no good.
If Bell wanted to skip training camp, fine. What adult would want to stay in a dormitory room? As talented as Bell is, though, he still needs practice.
It would be nice if he could join his teammates earlier, practice and maybe get up to speed on whatever new wrinkles have been added to the playbook. Nobody expects him to play in the last preseason game.
Just show up, practice, and regain some sense of timing. He could demonstrate that his solo workouts have him in position to be game-ready. Maybe get acquainted with new teammates. That counts, too.
Will he be ready when the season opens on Sept. 10? After this, he'd better be.
---
--ARE THEY SERIOUS?
ESPN's decision to remove play-by-play announcer Robert Lee from a Virginia football assignment was so outrageously stupid and pointless that it had to be a publicity stunt.
---
--ON THE PIRATES
Three thoughts on the Pirates:
--John Jaso seems to be the embodiment of the southern California beach guy, a laid-back sort who doesn't get too worked up about much.
That's nice, but he needs to exert more energy while he's playing baseball for $4 million. Those lazy jogs down the line can be infuriating. Is it too much to ask for three short sprints per game?
--The Pirates have been reluctant to sink a lot of money into relief pitching. The belief is a bullpen can be cobbled together on a budget. They've mostly been correct about that, staying flexible and efficiently moving modestly-priced parts in and out.
They strayed from that this year, and the results haven't been good. Antonio Bastardo ($6.5 million) is long gone, while Tony Watson ($5.6 million before trade) and Daniel Hudson ($5.5 million) qualify as 2017 disappointments.
--If you listen between the lines, you may have picked up on Clint Hurdle's comments about Elias Diaz's shortcomings in calling a game. That explains why Chris Stewart plays more than Diaz does when they're both on the roster.
A smart baseball man once advised, "Never pick your catcher or shortstop on the basis on batting average." Catching is complicated. Some guys never get it. Remember Ryan Doumit?
---
--SERIES OR BUST
The Los Angeles Dodgers are having a ridiculous season that will turn into a flop if they don't win their first World Series since 1988.
Here's how things are going for the Dodgers: They came to PNC Park and won three of four games from the Pirates. In the only game they lost, their starting pitcher took a no-hitter into the 10th inning.
---
--NOT SO SWEET
Why is the fluff so often the story with Pitt football?
Now it's the debate over "Sweet Caroline." Before it was the script logo and what shade of gold the Panthers wear.
New athletic director Heather Lyke has to get people to care as much as the actual program as they do about the trivial things.
(John Mehno can be reached at: johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com)

Altoona Mirror, August 20, 2017

Because Steelers training camp is so devoid of actual news, there was quite a stir last week.
Assistant coach Joey Porter revealed the Steelers plan to start first-round draft choices T.J. Watt and Bud Dupree at the outside linebacker spots and use veteran James Harrison as a backup. Or, as Porter called him, a "relief pitcher."
This really shouldn't be news. The Steelers were anxious to have Harrison in a reserve role last season, too. It didn't happen because nobody (Jarvis Jones) was a better option. Harrison wound up taking a lot of snaps, probably more than a player of his vintage should take.
Harrison's commitment to conditioning is unquestioned. No one would ever underestimate his intensity. But he's 39 years old in a young man's game.
There seems to be the mistaken impression that Watt will start in the first half of the season and Harrison will then take over. If that happens, it means something has gone terribly wrong.
The Steelers need help on defense, and they think they've gotten that by drafting Watt. He comes from a football family. Training with his brother, Pro Bowler J.J. Watt, has shown him what it takes to play in the NFL.
He's intelligent. Steelers insiders report he learned the playbook in a week. And, as coaches like to say, his motor is always running.
It's time for a transition so the Steelers don't have to depend on one of the oldest players in the league.
Actually, the transition is arriving later than it should have.
---
--NOT VERY LIKELY
A ridiculous story has been circulating claiming the Catholic church is considering beatifying Roberto Clemente as a saint.
All sense of proportion about Clemente has been lost. People who weren't around when he played baseball now think he spent his days doing charitable works, then went 4-for-4 and helped the Pirates win every game, and finished the day by giving all his loyal fans a ride home.
Clemente was an excellent baseball who played the game with a distinctive flair. He died on a mercy mission to help earthquake victims. As his longtime friend Phil Dorsey used to say, "He wasn't an angel and he wasn't a devil."
He probably wasn't a saint, either. But so few are.
By the way, the effort to get sainthood for Clemente is led by former Pittsburgher Richard Rossi. Google his name sometime. He has an interesting background.
---
--LOOK OUT
Baseball players are at particular risk during the solar eclipse because they insist on keeping the sunglasses on the bill of their cap.
---
--BAD ADVICE
Somewhere in the Pirates organization is a scout who recommended acquiring Joaquin Benoit from the Phillies.
That scout should be forced to drive Benoit to the Greyhound station and buy him a one-way ticket to Topeka to start a new life without baseball.
---
--ALSO KNOWN AS...
The Pirates will be wearing jerseys tonight that sport the players' nicknames.
So it's Cutch and J Hay and Stew and so on.
If they had done that in a past generation, the names would have been Deacon, Bart, Kitten, Vinegar Bend, Red, Baron, Smoky, Smitty, Stu, Rocky, Maz, Ducky, Tiger, Dog, Arriba, Quail and Hurryin' Joe.
You kids can ask your grandfather. Why do I suddenly feel like Steve Blass?
(John Mehno can be reached at: johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com)

Altoona Mirror, August 16, 2017

AT&T Sports Net (formerly Root) has a relatively new one-hour special ("Cobra") on former Pirates outfielder Dave Parker.
Parker is 66 now, and his life has taken a sad turn. He has Parkinson's Disease, and the program shows what a fight it is. The player who was once the most intimidating force in baseball speaks in a soft voice that is slightly slurred, and he sometimes struggles to manage simple tasks.
Unfortunately, the program doesn't provide the most accurate portrayal of Parker's controversial career with the Pirates. It becomes apparent early that facts don't always matter when the narration claims that Parker was called up in 1974 to take Roberto Clemente's place in right field.
Parker actually came to the major leagues in 1973, and played only 18 games in right field.
He was with the team throughout 1974, although he missed most of June and July with injuries. In '74, he started only 47 games, and just 25 of those were in right field. Richie Zisk was the Pirates' regular right fielder, starting 131 games.
Parker took over in right field in 1975, the third season after Clemente's death. So he replaced Zisk, not Clemente.
Later, the show mentions that Parker was "involved" in the notorious 1985 drug trials. In fact, he was a major player. According to testimony, Parker partially funded a west coast trip for Shelby Greer, who supplied him with cocaine. Parker was also one of the players who brought admitted drug dealers into the Pirates' clubhouse.
Parker was the best player in baseball in the late 1970s. As his free agency approached, the perception was that the Pirates would never be able to sign him.
Instead, the Pirates broke new ground with a five-year, $7.5 million contract that shocked baseball.
Parker suddenly acquired an entourage of four or five yes men. He hired a public relations firm to increase his profile. It landed him an interview with a second-tier men's magazine called Oui that was embarrassingly crude. He sunk money into a concert promotion company that never got off the ground.
Things were fine at the start, but Parker's weight increased and his production had a corresponding drop. Over the last three years of the contract, he averaged 11 home runs per season with 56 runs batted in and an OPS of .755. On average, he missed one-third of the games over those three years.
The man who had been the best player in the game now couldn't match the production of teammates Mike Easler, Lee Lacy and Jason Thompson.
The show notes that Parker played hurt. He was hurt often, with injuries to his Achilles tendon, knees and hamstrings. Most of those could be traced to his increased weight, which was estimated to have topped 300 pounds.
Hitting the free agent market after the 1983 season was the slap in the face that motivated Parker to get back in shape. The hometown Cincinnati Reds were one of the few teams to pursue him. Parker returned to an All-Star level of production with Cincinnati.
The program glosses over the landmark breach of contract lawsuit the Pirates filed against Parker in 1986. The Pirates alleged that Parker's admitted drug use defrauded the team. The Pirates called a press conference to make the announcement, and distributed copies of Parker's contract.
An out-of-court settlement brought financial relief from some of the deferred payments that were owed to Parker through 2007.
Those details are missing from the show.
Finally, Parker claims that 'without a doubt," the only thing keeping him out of the Hall of Fame is his drug use. Tim Raines, who was inducted last month, admitted in court he started sliding head-first because he didn't want to risk damaging the vial of cocaine he kept in his back pocket. Orlando Cepeda, who spent time in prison on drug possession charges, was voted to the Hall in 1999. Ferguson Jenkins, who was found to be possessing cocaine, hashish and marijuana in a Customs search, made the Hall in 1991.
Parker's numbers -- impressive but not elite -- have kept him out. He had 2,712 hits. That's fewer than Vada Pinson, Al Oliver, Rusty Staub and Bill Buckner, none of whom are in the Hall of Fame. He had 288 fewer hits than Clemente, even though Clemente had only 27 more plate appearances.
Willie Stargell hit 136 more home runs than Parker, even though Stargell made 1,157 fewer plate appearances.
The drug use is keeping Parker out of the Hall in this sense: His decision to use drugs led to three below-average years from ages 29-31 that affected his career totals.
Dave Parker's story is fascinating. Too bad the AT&T show missed so much of it.
(John Mehno can be reached at: johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com)

Altoona Mirror, August 13, 2017

The Steelers are an organization with an abundance of history they've largely ignored.
That is changing with the creation of a team Hall of Honor. The first inductees will be revealed on Aug. 29.
These kinds of things are great for debate and can kill hours on sports talk radio.
Some naysayers argue against the inclusion of franchise founder Art Rooney Sr. in the inaugural class.
They contend the Steelers were not a successful team under Rooney's leadership and didn't become a winner until son Dan Rooney took over operations in the late 1960s.
No Art Rooney Sr. in the first group of honorees? Are they kidding?
The NFL is a multi-billion dollar operation these days, but it was mom-and-pop for a long time. Rooney Sr. would literally bring home the gate receipts and count the money on the kitchen table.
In addition to founding the Steelers, Rooney Sr. made sure they stayed in Pittsburgh when there was little reason to keep them here. Attendance was often as lousy as the team. Rooney Sr. dipped into his own pocket to keep the franchise afloat.
A lot of cities didn't have pro football then and came calling with attractive offers. He could have made a sweet deal and moved the team to some place like Miami or Atlanta or New Orleans. He stayed in Pittsburgh, where the team had offices downtown, played its games in Oakland and practiced on a field in South Park that the police horses also used.
Yes, things got infinitely better when Dan Rooney took over. But that never would have happened here unless Art Rooney Sr. prevailed through the tough times.
He is absolutely a charter member of the Hall of Honor.
---
--ON THE PIRATES
Three quick Pirates thoughts:
--For a guy who missed half the season because of a stupid and selfish decision that let his team down, Starling Marte doesn't seem to be playing with any perceptible urgency.
If there's a higher gear, he really ought to kick into it to make up for lost time.
--All pitchers are prone to slumps. Gerrit Cole had a string of four bad games. Jameson Taillon had difficulty in back-to-back starts.
But Ivan Nova has been trending in the wrong direction for a couple of months now. In his last 10 starts, his earned run average is 5.40. Opponents are batting .320 against him, and opposing batters have a .937 OPS against him. (Just for perspective, Willie Mays' career OPS was .941).
Looks like pitching coach Ray Searage has a project.
--For a guy who sends out a daily inspirational e-mail message that ends, "Love, Clint," the Pirates' manager can get pretty frosty in question and answer sessions.
---
--CHASING HISTORY
Umpire Joe West, who enjoys having a high profile, was recently suspended for three games by MLB.
West earned the penalty with some mildly critical remarks about Adrian Beltre.
That suspension hurt, and not just from the loss of three days' pay. West is chasing the career record for most games umpired, which will probably require him to work for two more seasons beyond this one.
That will be a challenge. Travel is a beast, he's 64 years old and he totters around on knees that are worse than your grandmother's.
But he's serious about getting that record. When his crew was recently assigned to replay center duty, West left to work on the field with another crew. Those replay assignments don't count toward career games worked, so West requested on-field duty to add to his total.
---
--WAY TO GO
And finally, a nice story just because the sports pages can always use one.
There's a family with an adult daughter who is on the list for a heart transplant. Her father contacted Kent Tekulve, the former Pirates pitcher and current AT&T Sports commentator. Tekulve had a heart transplant nearly three years ago.
Tekulve not only took the call, he arranged to meet the people and spent three hours with them, detailing his experience and answering their questions.
Great effort.
(John Mehno can be reached at: johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com)

Altoona Mirror, August 6, 2017

According the most recent numbers available from the census bureau, there are 101,612,000 males between the ages of 15 and 64 living in the United States.
Yet there aren't 32 who can competently quarterback an NFL team.
Maybe it's time to borrow from the other sports are start a global search for talent. There are capable arms in other parts of the word, Joaquin Benoit notwithstanding.
At any given moment, at least half of those 32 NFL teams wish they had someone better to play quarterback. The Steelers must be petrified when they ponder the day when Ben Roethlisberger is retired.
All of which brings us to Colin Kaepernick, who is still unemployed as this is being typed.
Kaepernick is only 29. He's played in 69 NFL games and started 58. His resume includes a 12-4 season with the San Francisco 49ers in 2012.
His career passer rating is 88.9. By comparison, Roethlisberger's is 94.1. A couple of the Steelers' more recent backups are well below Kaepernick's number in that department -- Charlie Batch was 76.4 and Bruce Gradkowski was 65.8.
Yet Kaepernick can't get a job.
The issue, of course, is the protest he staged last year, not standing when the national anthem was played. It was his way of calling attention to what he thought was racial inequality in the United States.
A lot of players followed him, but Kaepernick was the lightning rod. He's paying the price, sitting on the outside while NFL camps are warming up.
Accusations pf blackballing have been made. That's ridiculous. The NFL would never put itself in legal jeopardy by telling teams they can't sign Kaepernick. Besides, as soon as anyone told the Oakland Raiders not to do something, they'd do it.
No doubt teams are wary of the backlash that would come with signing Kaepernick. Teams aren't touching him, even though a lot of them have bad quarterbacks and the full knowledge that they're bad.
Kaepernick should not lose faith, though. Things have a way of changing when times turn desperate.
Michael Vick was a pariah because he was convicted and sentenced to prison for participating in a dog fighting ring. The Atlanta Falcons released him. But he later played for the New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles because they had a need for an experienced quarterback.
When the Steelers found themselves in a sudden need for a backup, they signed Vick in 2015 and paid him nearly a million dollars.
Kaepernick's protest has left him with serious baggage, and that accounts for why he's still at home and not in a camp.
But he should keep checking his phone. Sooner or later, some team will be desperate enough for an experienced quarterback to give him a call.
---
--HE'S BACK
The Pirates corrected one of their offseason mistakes by acquiring Sean Rodriguez from the Atlanta Braves on Saturday.
Rodriguez was an incredibly valuable utility player because he could not only play a number of positions, he could play them well.
After watching the misadventures of John Jaso, Jose Osuna and Adam Frazier in the outfield this season, it became apparent how much the Pirates regretted their decision to let Rodriguez leave as a free agent.
If Rodriguez is in the game, Clint Hurdle also knows he's covered at shortstop should a late-inning need arise.
Rodriguez may not do anything that's off the charts, but he's a valuable piece who gives a manager lineup flexibility.
---
--RE-PETE OFFENDER
If there's a Degenerate Hall of Fame somewhere (Las Vegas would be perfect), Pete Rose should be the charter inductee.
He had 4,256 hits and made twice as many missteps off the field.
When you think protesting, "She was 16, not 14" is a good defense against statutory rape allegations, your life has truly gone off the rails.
To think people still line up to pay him $40 for an autograph.
(John Mehno can be reached at: johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com)

Altoona Mirror, July 30, 2017

When last season ended and Ben Roethlisberger said he might not be back, people rolled their eyes.
Conventional wisdom said this just more false drama from Ben.
Roethlisberger has revisited that theme as the Steelers opened training camp, saying that he won't commit beyond the upcoming season.
Stop the eye rolling and take him seriously this time.
A lot of players are probably thinking about the future after last week's release of a frightening medical research study that again linked football to long-term brain damage.
The methodology may have been skewed, but there's no question that playing football takes a grim toll beyond the obvious orthopedic problems.
Just last week, Baltimore Ravens lineman John Urschel, a 4.0 Penn State graduate, told the Baltimore Ravens he was done at age 26. Instead, he'll pursue a PhD in mathematics at M.I.T. He's grateful for the monetary stake football has provided him, but he isn't going to push his luck and risk serious injury.
"Right now, I spend most of my time thinking about discrete Schrödinger operators, high-dimensional data compression, algebraic multigrid and Voronoi diagrams," he said on his M.I.T. web page.
That's a little more complex than picking up the safety blitz.
The New York Times reported that Urschel told a teammate he was "unnerved" when he discovered a concussion affected his ability to solve math problems.
So instead of studying the Steelers, Urschel is designing his course load for the fall semester.
Several players have chosen to leave pro football at a young age. It's possible to make some major money in a short period of time, which eases that transition. The smart players took advantage of a free college education and prepared for a life that didn't include football.
We'll never know how Mike Webster's life might have been different had he not played an additional two seasons for Kansas City after the 15 he spent with the Steelers. The certainty is the unhappy bottom line -- Webster died at age 50, his hopelessly scrambled brain preventing him from having any quality of life after he was done with football.
The NFL limits contact in practices and the league has established some procedures for seriously dealing with head injuries. We've come a long way from the days of the press box announcement that, "Lynn Swann had his bell rung. His return to the game is questionable."
At 35, Roethlisberger is in the fourth quarter of his career. He has a wife, three small children and piles of money in the bank. He has two Super Bowl rings. His place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame is secure.
What's left to play for? The competition is the lure, but is that worth the considerable risk? Roethlisberger has already compiled a troublesome concussion history.
His offensive line protects him ferociously. He's learned to unload the ball and avoid contact. But the NFL is still a vicious environment, and a quarterback is always one hit or one awkward fall away from concussion protocol.
Enjoy this season. It really could be Roethlisberger's last.
---
--RIDE IN STYLE
Some people are upset over the flamboyant entrance a couple of players made to Steelers training camp.
The grumps took it as further evidence that the players are out of control under Mike Tomlin.
Antonio Brown showed up in a chauffeur-driven vintage Rolls Royce. James Harrison was behind the wheel of a fire truck that had its siren wailing.
Lighten up. They added some life to a mundane day of waiting for players to arrive. They also entertained their teammates.
And, yes, Harrison has the commercial license necessary to drive a truck.
---
--RADIO WAVES
Don't miss ESPN's "30 for 30" show on Mike and the Mad Dog, the former WFAN radio duo who ruled New York sports talk for almost 20 years.
When revenue-generating egomaniacs are involved, radio management people do as much babysitting as coaches and managers do.
(John Mehno can be reached at: johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com)

Altoona Mirror, July 27, 2017

The uncomfortable dance between athletes and media has been going on since some guy sat down and etched criticism in a stone tablet about a gladiator.
It's an even more unusual dynamic when the media people cover a team as a traveling beat, spending even more time with the players. Turns out familiarity really does breed contempt.
It can get uneasy, even if the media is announcers who travel with the team.
That was apparently the case recently when David Price of the Boston Red Sox unloaded on player-turned-announcer Dennis Eckersley on a team flight.
Eckersley, a Hall of Fame pitcher, does some part-time announcing for the Red Sox. He seems to broadcast for the viewers and not the players, meaning he won't hesitate to be critical if he sees that need.
Reports suggest those tendencies have angered some of the Red Sox players, and Price began taunting Eckersley aboard the plane.
That's an uncomfortable situation. The best strategy is always to walk away from trouble, but that's hard to do at 35,000 feet.
Steve Stone found that out in 2004, when he was announcing for the Chicago Cubs. Stone was sitting on the plane, reading a book, when suddenly he had pitcher Kent Mercker confronting him about on-air comments that the players perceived as negative.
There's a Pittsburgh columnist who had a similar encounter with a Pirates player many years ago when the writer was working for a suburban paper. The man had written a column critical of the player's sudden media boycott. The player responded with a vile series of loud insults that were apparently designed to goad the writer into a fight he couldn't possibly win.
Instead, he sat in silence and suffered through listening to the player denigrate his mother on the way to Chicago.
Teams fly charters exclusively these days, so the players feel like the plane is an extension of the clubhouse, which is their turf.
The Red Sox have resolved the latest issue by having the announcers travel apart from the team. That's inconvenient, at minimum. Sometimes it's close to impossible, given airline schedules and the total lack of logic that sometimes afflicts the baseball schedule.
Traveling with the team in any manner has always been a dicey proposition.
Earl Lawson covered the Cincinnati Reds for a long time. He once witnessed two players fighting on the team bus, but he couldn't write the story for his paper. He had been turning in cab expenses, and writing the bus skirmish would have exposed his ruse to the paper's accounting department.
Sometimes a player will vent on the ground. The Pirates had Wally Backman in 1990 and played him out of position at third base. He wasn't very good there, and Bruce Keidan expressed that opinion at length in a column.
Backman waited for weeks to respond. When Keidan finally showed up, Backman unloaded on him with a profane tirade that was purely personal. It didn't matter that it was a Sunday morning, and many teammates were down the hall at a chapel service. Keidan, a thick-skinned veteran of covering baseball in Philadelphia, took the abuse and moved on.
(By the way, anyone who doubts Backman's gift for profanity should check out the You Tube clips where he's wired for sound as a minor league manager. Don't share them with the kids).
Writers write, commentators comment, players play. It's an odd relationship, and it comes with bumps in the road.
Or in the case of Price and Eckersley, it comes with some turbulence through the skies.
(John Mehno can be reached at: johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com)