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)
Sunday, October 29, 2017
Saturday, October 21, 2017
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)
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)
Sunday, October 15, 2017
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)
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)
Saturday, October 7, 2017
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)
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)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)