Beaver County Times, November 16, 2014

Can we talk? Seems like that's a question the Steelers ought to be asking, given some of the communications snafus that have come to light in the last week.

A lot of things went wrong in last Sunday's loss to the Jets, and some of them were rooted in the inability to get signals straight.

The NFL has more systems in place to communicate than the other major sports combined. Referees wear microphones. This year, there's a system that allows the entire officiating crew to communicate electronically.

The quarterback and one defensive player wear helmets equipped with radio receivers so coaches can send information to the field. The sideline is connected to the upstairs coaches booth. 

The NFL has now added Microsoft-designed tablets that transmit information. That makes the old system of faxing overhead photos obsolete, and means there can be no repeat of the classic moment when Bill Cowher tried to stuff his photographic evidence in the referee's shirt pocket.

Compare with baseball, where the plate umpire pantomimes lineup changes to the public address booth. In the NBA, referees have to be limber to act out charging calls, and they have to be mathematically adept enough to finger signal the offending player's number to the scorer's table. (They have an especially lively call for traveling, but the NBA hasn't called traveling since the '70s).

The NFL is all about the efficient flow of information. But apparently the Steelers weren't on board with that in at least two instances during the Jets game.

James Harrison wound up in a goal line offensive formation, either to block or catch a pass. It turns out he should have been on the sideline.

Harrison went into the game when it was a play designed to use fullback Will Johnson. So instead of having a player accustomed to handling the ball, they had a 36-year-old linebacker expecting to be thrown his first pass.

What happened? Communication breakdown. The Steelers sent Harrison into the game, then called a play for Johnson, who was on the sideline. 

Very late in the game, the Jets were lined up for a clock-killing kneel-down. Safety Mike Mitchell vaulted the line and launched himself at quarterback Michael Vick.

Jets coach Rex Ryan called it "bush league." Mike Tomlin admitted it was "not professional." Apparently Mitchell thought his coach had signed off on the tactic.

Tomlin said Mitchell said something to him, but he wasn't paying attention. Tomlin was apparently in that zone-out mode that parents develop when their kids start yammering about much fun it would be if rabbits could fly, and he responded to Mitchell with something like, "Uh huh...."

Next thing anybody knew, Mitchell was airborne and the Jets were understandably mad. Assuming Mitchell said something like, "Hey, coach, how about if I get a running start, jump up and wipe out this dog hater?" how did Tomlin not notice?

Things get busy on the sideline, but the Steelers have 14 assistant coaches and some of them have assistants of their own. Doesn't somebody notice that the personnel doesn't match the play, or that one of the safeties wants to be a human missile?

Between the coaches' headsets, the radio helmets and the tablets, somehow the proper messages should be delivered.

---

--BEHAVING BADLY

Things have been especially nutty at Steelers headquarters this year, for reasons that have nothing to do with the team.

A pattern of media misbehavior led team officials to shut the doors the other day to offer a stern scolding, along with a request to start acting like professionals.

Spies report the first sign of trouble came when a visiting network reporter didn't heed instructions to stay in the media workroom. She set up in the lobby, feet propped up on a table, passing the time making loud calls on her phone. Then she cried when someone yelled at her.

More recently, a territorial dispute between a TV guy and a print/website reporter supposedly got physical, much to the amusement of the players. Then a radio guy was said to have insulted a player and may have threatened him as well.

The message from the team: The multipurpose nature of the Steelers compound doesn't include day care. 

Beaver County Times, November 9, 2014

So if Ben Roethlisberger throws fewer than six touchdown passes today, does it mean he's had a bad game?

Funny how quickly standards can change.

Like how did Todd Haley get so smart in two weeks? Night classes? Has he been monitoring sports talk radio?

Here we go with some Steelers observations, here we go:

--It's impossible to overstate how well the offensive line has been providing protection. Roethlisberger has praised his line, but quarterbacks always do that.

The line is giving him time. Roethlisberger was sacked on three consecutive plays on one ridiculous series on Sunday night, but overall the line has been exceptional.

Give a good quarterback time, and he's going to make plays.

--As impressive as 12 touchdown passes in two games obviously is, there's one statistic that's almost as good: No interceptions.

So many things can happen including deflected passes and route-running errors by inexperienced receivers, so you expect a turnover or two along the way for a team that's throwing the ball a lot.

Turnovers can be tipping points. The Steelers have been taking care of the ball, even though it's in the air a lot.

--Ordinarily Troy Polamalu's absence would be a major issue for the Steelers. Polamalu won't play against the Jets, and he also missed a good part of the game against the Ravens.

There seems to be little consternation about his absence from the lineup. Is that because people are so dazzled about what's happening on offense, or is it an indication that Polamalu's impact is far less than what it once was?

--Popular opinion a few weeks ago held that Dick LeBeau was obsolete. Instead, it looks like he's doing more than ever, designing schemes varied enough to allow the Steelers to get away with too much average talent on defense. 

--Mike Tomlin called out the Steelers' kick coverage team after the Ravens' 108-yard touchdown return. Tomlin was correct, but he didn't go far enough. Just about every aspect of the Steelers' special teams play has been substandard too often. (Shaun Suisham's field goal kicking is an exception).

It's good that the Steelers improvised their way into a two-point conversion after holder Brad Wing mishandled the snap, but an automatic kick shouldn't turn into an adventure. Bad special teams will eventually be costly.

--The Joe Greene number retirement ceremony was well done, but bittersweet. Greene is the only survivor of the legendary front four that was once on the cover of Time magazine. To see Greene hobbling out to the podium and to know that all his linemates are gone is another realization that 1974 was a really long time ago.

---

--PEACE ON ICE

NBC hockey commentator Mike Milbury recently called for the NHL to abolish fighting. His anti-fighting epiphany has come after an interesting journey.

While playing for Boston on Dec. 23, 1979, Milbury was one of 18 Bruins players involved in a game-ending scrum that spilled into the stands at Madison Square Garden. Milbury yanked the shoe off a fan named John Kaptain, and hit Kaptain with the shoe. The NHL suspended Milbury for six games and fined him $500.

You Tube has the episode preserved, along with a bunch of Milbury fights that show him before he went all Gandhi.

---

--SCALING BACK

KDKA-TV has been doing a Saturday night Steelers shows for several years, but it's been different this season.

Honey, they shrunk the show. Some elements are the same. Bob Pompeani co-hosts, this year with the personable Cam Heyward. But they no longer tape at Heinz Field's Great Hall (where audience members were shaken down for an admission fee). There is no audience since the show is done in a corner of KDKA's main studio in Gateway Center.

There's no band, either, so there's a lot less energy. They still do a cooking segment, and radio's Tall Cathy capably assists. But at 30 minutes and in a smaller environment, it's only half the show it used to be.

If the downsizing continues, next year they'll be making the tailgating treats with an Easy-Bake oven.

Beaver County Times, November 2, 2014

The Giants had the exact same 88-74 regular season record that the Pirates did, so is there something to learn from San Francisco's third World Series championship in five years?

For those who attach a dollar sign to everything that happens in MLB, it's worth noting that postseason monster Madison Bumgarner cost the Giants $3.916 million this season, or less than what the Pirates paid Charlie Morton.

The Giants were proactive and signed Bumgarner to a $35 million deal through 2017 when he had just over one year of major league service time. He's scheduled to make $11.5 million when the contract peaks in 2017. By comparison, Wandy Rodriguez was paid $13 million this past season. The Giants have two option years that guarantee $12 million per season with the possibility of $16 million in the last year. If he hits that, he'll match what the Phillies paid A.J. Burnett this season.

Pitchers can break down without warning, but right now Bumgarner's deal looks like a relative bargain on the scale of Andrew McCutchen's contract.

Beyond that, they're two different organizations. The Giants were seventh in MLB payroll. The $148 million they spent was nearly double the Pirates' payroll.

The Giants' investments aren't all efficient. They sunk $20.8 million into pitcher Matt Cain, whose season ended on July 9 because of elbow surgery. He won two games for them.

They also paid $17 million to Tim Lincecum, who had an OK season before he lost his spot in the rotation in August. In the lengthy postseason, the Giants called on Lincecum exactly once. His lone appearance was less than two innings of mop-up relief in a World Series game the Giants lost 7-2.

The most interesting takeaway from the Giants' run of success is how much lineup turnover they've had in a short period of time. The only regulars still left from their 2010 championship are Buster Posey and Pablo Sandoval. They've had three different closers.

They've been willing to stay fluid and change personnel even though they obviously have the budget to sign long-term deals.

Bumgarner is one of several top draft picks to pay big dividends for the Giants. He was the 10th player taken in 2007, five slots after the Pirates drafted Daniel Moskos.

Moskos got a signing bonus of $2,475,000. Bumgarner got $2 million. Moskos pitched 24 and 1/3 innings for the Pirates. Bumgarner just pitched 52 and 2/3 innings in the 2014 postseason.

---

--SCARY ENDING

One of Bumgarner's most impressive accomplishments was the way he stayed on the mound with two outs in the ninth inning rather than sprinting to center field to strangle two of his outfielders in Game 7.

Alex Gordon hit a single that Gregor Blanco inexplicably let skip past him to the warning track. This surprised left fielder Juan Perez so much that he kicked the ball.

Gordon wound up on third, representing the tying run. Bumgarner got the last out, which allowed Blanco to avoid becoming the Venezuelan version of Bill Buckner.

---

--CALL ON RESERVES

There were 62,479 people in Heinz Field last Sunday, and it's likely none of them knew that Norm Van Brocklin owns the NFL record for most passing yards in a game.

So it really doesn't matter that Ben Roethlisberger didn't get a chance to get the record. What does matter is Roethlisberger had an excellent chance to get a concussion when he was sandwiched by two tacklers while carrying the ball with 1:02 left in the game.

He said he called his own number because he wanted to spare Le'Veon Bell another hard hit. Bell had just carried the ball five straight times.

Here's a question: Why were Roethlisberger and Bell still in the game for a possession that started with 2:48 on the clock and the Steelers ahead by 17 points? Bell had been forced to leave the game earlier because of an ankle injury.

That closing time was made for backups, but they were on the sidelines while two of the team's most important offensive players were getting needlessly pounded.

---

--RADIO WAVES

Commercial broadcasting began on this day in 1920 when KDKA went on the air with Harding-Cox presidential election returns.

It took at least a few weeks for someone to first say, "Thanks for taking my call."

Beaver County Times, October 26, 2014

There can be no more emphatic endorsement than the one Penguins GM Jim Rutherford gave Marc-Andre Fleury.

"As long as I'm the general manager, he'll be our goalie," Rutherford said last week.

That's bold. That's firm. That's reassuring. It's also borderline crazy.

Rutherford was an NHL goalie, so he understands the need for confidence and a comfort level in someone who plays that nerve-wracking position. He doesn't want Fleury to get sidetracked thinking about what might happen when his contract expires after this season.

But why make such a strong commitment now? Fleury was fine last year in the playoffs. He was shaky in the two prior postseasons, to the point that backup Tomas Vokoun was deemed the better option in 2013.

Fleury has the 2009 Stanley Cup on his resume but that was a long time ago. The Penguins have been passed by other organizations, and one of the reasons is the sub-standard goaltending they got in two years that should have represented prime time for this organization.

Another reason the Penguins have slipped is the salary cap has been tilted severely toward the top. The Penguins pay the stars, which doesn't always lead to a lot of balance to fill out the rest of the roster.

Their is no current heir apparent to Fleury in the organization. No doubt that heightens the urgency to get an extension done. But there's a lot of talent scattered throughout the NHL, and there are a lot of capable goalies who could improve their situation by coming to Pittsburgh.

There's a lot to like about Fleury. He's a hard worker. He's a great teammate. He's never thrown other players under the bus, even when they deserved it. If you don't think that goes a long way toward keeping the peace on a team, you weren't paying attention when Tom Barrasso played here.

Fleury's a reasonable person. He's not the type of player who would go elsewhere just to get a small bump in salary. By most accounts he's happy here, which means he probably never lets his radio drift over to sports talk.

Maybe it makes perfect sense to re-sign him. It doesn't make a lot of sense to make that commitment in October, though.

---

--FASHION NEWS

Look for Pitt to start having undefeated seasons and constant sellouts now that the script logo has been restored to the helmets.

The script was banished about 15 years ago as part of AD Steve Pederson's failed quest to ditch "Pitt" as an identifier and replace it with the more formal, "Pittsburgh."

Like Todd Graham, that was a huge mistake. People see the university and its teams as "Pitt" and they like the script on the helmets. The only thing sillier than the long-standing dust-up over the helmet adornment was the administration's long-standing refusal to change, even though it was clear what fans wanted. (There's no denying the undotted "i" is abundantly cool).

The script is back. Can the glory days be far behind? Or at least the days when a win over Akron at home was considered a sure thing?

On another superficial fashion note, whatever happened to those satiny jackets that baseball players used to wear? Now MLB has players and staff outfitted in officially-licensed downscale hoodies.

The World Series managers look like they're in a sandlot tournament.

---

--BIG HEADED

If San Francisco's Bruce Bochy can manage to win a third World Series in five seasons, it will give him a new baseball identity.

As things stand now, he's best known for having the biggest head in MLB. He wears a size 8 and 1/4 cap, which is just a couple of notches below the one the Pirate Parrot wears. When Bochy was traded, he would take his helmet to the new team for a fresh paint job because nobody ever had one that big in stock.

His nickname with Houston was "Headley," because baseball players never let a physical abnormality go unexploited.

That tendency was demonstrated when Joe Oliver (briefly a Pirate) played for the Reds. Oliver also had a large head, which led teammate Aaron Boone to ask someone, "What would you rather have: a million dollars or Joe Oliver's head filled with nickels?"

Beaver County Times, October 19, 2014

Here's what's wrong with the Steelers: They don't have enough good players.
Here's how to fix the Steelers: Get better players.
Pin The Blame On The Coordinators might be the region's most popular indoor sport, and they're hardly blameless. But the biggest difference between this team and the teams that went 12-4 as recently as 2011 is the talent gap.
Good players got too old, or broke down, or no longer fit under the salary cap. The replacements, in almost every case, have been inferior.
When you replace players with others who aren't as good, suddenly consecutive 12-4 seasons turn into back-to-back 8-8 records.
It shouldn't come as any surprise because we've been here before.
It's ancient history now, but the Steelers once won four Super Bowls in six years because they had six years of exceptional drafting. They selected nine future Hall of Famers from 1969 through '74 and reaped the benefits of that incredible stockpile from '74 through '79.
Then those players got old or broke down, and the replacements weren't nearly as good. Cliff Stoudt replaced Terry Bradshaw. Franco Harris begat Walter Abercrombie. Mel Blount was followed by Sam Washington, then Harvey Clayton.
The front four that was featured on the cover of Time magazine -- Joe Greene, L.C. Greenwood, Ernie Holmes and Dwight White -- became a three-man line of John Goodman, Gary Dunn and Tom Beasley.
Even when the successor was pretty good, like Mike Merriweather, he was still short of the standard set by Jack Ham.
The scale hasn't been as dramatic as it was when the '70s took that cruel turn into the '80s, but the template is sadly the same. Aaron Smith turns into Travis Kirschke and Ziggy Hood. Casey Hampton is replaced by Steve McLendon.
The Troy Polamalu who once played a game as wild as his hair has been replaced by an older, slower version.
If Vince Lombardi came back to be the defensive coordinator, he probably couldn't get much of out of this group, which is also now missing three injured starters. Sentimentalists love having Brett Keisel and James Harrison back, but their emergency additions just demonstrate how bereft the roster is.
In two years, the receiving corps has lost Mike Wallace, Emmanuel Sanders and Jerricho Cotchery. Who has replaced them?
Last week in Cleveland, Markus Wheaton was targeted for 11 passes. He caught four. Ben Roethlisberger had a lousy game, so he gets some of the blame, but how does a receiver catch only 36 percent of the passes thrown his way?
It doesn't have to be that way. New England constantly changes the personnel around Tom Brady and consistently wins. Bill Belichick has had one losing season in 14 years, and that came when he took over in 2000. The Patriots reversed that 5-11 record the next season and won the Super Bowl.
The Steelers are 3-3 and facing a pivotal point in their schedule with three straight home games.
Painful as it might be, the best outcome for this season would be a 5-11 or 6-10 record. That would get a better drafting position and jolt ownership into taking a hard look at the entire operation: player procurement, cap management and, yes, coaching.
That should have happened last year, but they got deluded by the 8-4 finish that followed an 0-4 start.
There are a lot of things that need to be fixed. If it were only as easy as hiring a new offensive coordinator.
---
--TALENT RAID?
Pirates bench coach Jeff Banister has achieved his long-standing goal of becoming a major league manager.
As he settles in with Texas, will he raid the Pirates for staff help? He spent 29 years in the organization and undoubtedly knows people on and off the field he'd like to have helping him.
Teams can reject lateral moves, but rarely stand in the way when someone has a chance to take a better job.
---
--SETTLING IN
Jason Grilli closed on a house in Gibsonia last week. After living in Orlando, he's decided to make his permanent home in the Pittsburgh area.
As his playing career nears an end, Grilli will undoubtedly be seeking radio and TV work and is a good bet to wind up on the local airwaves.

Beaver County Times, October 12, 2014

Forget about Halloween. This is potentially the scariest day of the month, and quite possibly the most frightening of the year.
The Steelers play in Cleveland this afternoon and will confront the possibility the Browns are better than they are.
Every year the teams play twice and advance stories focus on the rivalry, but it hasn't really existed for a long time. Sure, people sell t-shirts bearing rude messages outside both stadiums, but there hasn't been much to dispute on the field.
The Steelers have won regularly since the Browns came back into the NFL as an expansion team in 1999. The Browns have squeaked out a game here or there, but mostly because the Steelers somehow self-destructed. They've been little more than a brown-and-orange bump in the road on the way to important divisional games against Baltimore or Cincinnati. People have gotten used to seeing the Browns in the cellar, a fixture just like cheap paneling, the old kitchen chairs and an ancient Duquesne Pilsner clock.
But the Browns are coming off a major second half rally that let them win in Tennessee last week. It resembled what they did in the season opener at Heinz Field when they spotted the Steelers a big lead, then roared back in the second half.
The Steelers didn't have an answer for what they did and had to salvage the game on Shaun Suisham's last-second field goal.
Meanwhile, the Steelers have a 3-2 record and should probably be 4-1 at this point. But there are brush fires all over the place. The offense produced just 10 points against Jacksonville.
The defense can't generate heat on quarterbacks, which explains why someone like Mike Glennon could beat them at home and Blake Bortels, making just his second NFL start, gave them a scare in Jacksonville last weekend.
The betting line has established the Browns as the favorite today, by the slightest margin. Have the Steelers and Browns converged while heading in opposite directions on the elevator?
Today's outcome isn't as certain as it usually is when these teams meet. This should be a competitive game, which means the storyline will be even bigger than whether Antonio Brown extends that NFL record for catching at least five passes for 50 yards.
---
--GREAT BALLS OF FIRE
The Penguins took a moment during the opener to acknowledge Mike Lange's 40th anniversary as the team's play-by-play voice.
His longevity is unprecedented. Myron Cope was part of the Steelers' radio team for 35 years. Bob Prince called Pirates games for 28 seasons, 21 of those as the No. 1 announcer. Lanny (Hi, Friends) Frattare worked baseball for 33 seasons, although it seemed longer.
Lange's career hit a crossroads in the summer of 2006 when the rights holder dumped him from the TV broadcasts. He shopped around, found nothing that fit, put aside his pride and took the Penguins' radio job.
And he actually got better. Even at 66, he provides the most descriptive radio call of any sport in town. He's older, the game is faster than it's ever been and most broadcast perches are inches from the ceiling, but Lange is still on top of the action.
His preparation is thorough. He attends all the game-day morning skates and gathers information by talking to players and coaches from both teams. He has extra study time during warm-ups, when he hones in the visiting team, noting personnel combinations and skating styles, so he can tell who's on the ice even if the jersey number is obscured.
There is an asterisk attached to his longevity. After his first season, the Penguins went bankrupt (the first time). Uncertain of the future, Lange went to Washington to do soccer games. Who remembers that he was replaced by Gary Morrell?
Lange was back after that season, though, and he's one of the few who's been around for the second bankruptcy, Rico Fata, and the crazy swings between a 38-point season and three Stanley Cup championships.
---
--OCTOBER 13
Monday is the 54th anniversary of the greatest moment in Pittsburgh sports, Bill Mazeroski's World Series-winning home run.
That isn't the reason schools are closed and mail won't be delivered. It's just a happy coincidence.

Beaver County Times, October 5, 2014

Clint Hurdle has the easy offseason. All he has to do is undergo surgery and endure the painful rehab that comes with a hip replacement.
GM Neal Huntington has to figure out how to keep the Pirates in the playoffs while still sticking to the budget restrictions he's given.
Between the free agency issues and arbitration cases, Huntington won't have many days off. The two commodities he needs most -- reliable starting pitching and a front-line catcher -- are difficult to get.
So many questions: Is Pedro Alvarez salvageable? If he is, can he play third base again? Has Josh Harrison turned a corner at 27, or did he have a dream season he won't duplicate? How do you fill a rotation that has a potential No. 1 in Gerrit Cole and a bunch of candidates for No. 5 with not much in between? Is Gregory Polanco a major league player? As arbitration likely pushes Mark Melancon toward $5 million, is he worth that? If not, who closes?
Russell Martin's anticipated free agent departure leaves a huge hole at catcher. A combination of Tony Sanchez and Chris Stewart won't come close to filling it. The Martin break-up is painful, but there's really no other viable choice. It's unlikely Martin has more than one solid season before age and the wear and tear of the position catch up with him. He could be the one who defies the odds, but the Pirates shouldn't take that gamble on the three-year contract he's certain to get.
Edinson Volquez had a better year than anyone could have anticipated, but it's not a good idea to bring him back. Francisco Liriano? Maybe.
Here's a suggestion if the Pirates decide to go bold: Consider trading Neil Walker. He's coming off his best season, so his value is high. The Pirates have never said so publicly, but they have no interest in doing a long-term deal with him. He'll hit free agency at age 31, which means he'll be allowed to leave. A balky back and limited defensive range are both factors. Contracts that start after a player is 31 usually buy only declining years.
Could Walker bring the kind of catcher the Pirates need? Could he be flipped for a quality starting pitcher? If the Pirates think Alvarez can move back to third, Harrison could go to second and the team could attack first base with an outside solution or its incumbent jumble of Ike Davis, Gaby Sanchez and Andrew Lambo.
Hurdle's hip will get better as the offseason progresses. Huntington's headaches will linger.
---
--NO SURE THINGS
The Steelers play in Jacksonville today, and ordinarily a game against an 0-4 opponent would be a ho-hum, pass-the-Fritos, hey-what's the-4-o'clock-game? TV show.
But one of the effects of having a mediocre team is games that are supposed to be lopsided wind up being competitive. Who expected last week's outcome against Tampa Bay at Heinz Field? But it happened.
So keep the Rolaids handy and stick close to the TV. The Jaguars might make it a game.
By the way, those calling the Tampa Bay loss the worst in Mike Tomlin's tenure have short memories.
Back in 2009, a much more talented Steelers team blew a lead in the last two minutes at home against the 3-8 Oakland Raiders. Bruce Gradkowski did a Tom Brady imitation and led a winning touchdown drive right after the Steelers had taken the lead.
Even though it was the fifth time in six games that the Steelers had fallen apart in the fourth quarter, there was still plenty of shock value.
"Worst game under Tomlin" is a longer discussion than it should be.
---
--CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS
The intrigue of the expanded baseball postseason is not only guessing which teams will win. It's also trying to find what second-rate cable channel might be carrying the games.
Two of Friday's games were on Fox Sports 1, which reaches fewer households than Animal Planet and Cartoon Network. Some of the games are exclusive to MLB TV, which lags behind Oprah's OWN and the Golf Channel in households.
Among Bud Selig's many accomplishments as commissioner: He's sent a lot of people back to their radios for postseason baseball.