Big Lead Sports Bar

10/31/2007

Dave Littlefield Sighting!

Look who was spotted by eagle-eyed reader Marcus at the Pens game on Saturday night sitting in section D6:
"So I am at the Pens game on Saturday, sitting in section D6, good seats, not great. I look to my right and who do I see? None other that Dave Littlefield. I mean, I know he's unemployed at the moment, but those are the best seats he can get? Maybe the Nuttings wouldn't pay him either. Or he really is that cheap."
Poor Dave Littlefield. He can't even go to a Penguin game without speculation based on his boss, his salary, or his performance. That being said, he had a lousy boss, he didn't make as much as other GMs, and his presence made no difference in the organization's success. But he gets Brownie Points for supporting the Pens.

Stay Classy, Penn State

I tried to post this yesterday, but it kept disappearing from YouTube. There's not much more to say once you watch the video. But I'm sure some Penn State apologists will find a way to justify it. I'm suggesting something along the lines of, "Well, there's always a few bad apples..."

10/30/2007

The News

--Here's part two of the "Seahawk Fan Visits Pittsburgh" cliffhanger from last week. Did he live?
--Did Tony Kornheiser use the phrase "Gunslinger" 637 times last night to describe Brett Favre? No, I think it was closer to 737 times.
--Looks like Joe Torre is on his way to L.A., killing our dreams of him managing the Buccos.
--New blog time! It's called Pierogis N'at and it's written by a guy named Big Snack. Sounds delicious.
--More evidence for the mounting case against Emmitt Smith's broadcasting career.
--PFT says that the Kraft family may be uncomfortable with the weekly blowouts. Probably not as uncomfortable as the team getting blown out, though.
--Britney Spears gave Tony Romo a lap dance?
--Will A-Rod go into the HOF with a blank hat?
--Popjocks gives a full recap of everything that was news in the NHL last week.
--The Wannstache believes that Pitt football is slowly turning the corner.
--Whenever Maddox speaks, you must listen.
A LIST OF TODAY'S BEST LISTS

10/29/2007

Steelers Beat Bengals; Bengals Fans Still Thinking Playoffs

STEELERS (5-2) 24

BENGALS (2-5) 13

Rub Hines' head...it's good luck!

Clearly I'm kidding with that headline...or am I? Actually, I think reality is finally setting in with our AFC North neighbors. The Steelers' 24-13 win yesterday seemed, at least to me, to display a Bengal team with a lot less life than in recent years.

After witnessing another blahse performance by Chad Johnson against the black and gold (5 catches, 51 yards), I was compelled to look up his game-by-game history against the Steelers to prove that I wasn't just imagining things. My findings (catches, yards, TDs):

2001: 5-52-0 and 2-25-0

2002: 7-71-0 and 7-152-0

2003: 4-77-0 and 7-117-1

2004: 4-54-0 and 5-80-1

2005: 4-94-0 and 5-54-0 [Postseason vs. Steelers: 4-59-0]

2006: 1-11-0 and 4-53-0

Chad Johnson Career vs. Steelers (counting playoff game): 64 catches, 950 yards, 2 TD

Chad Johnson Career average vs. Steelers: 4 catches - 59 yards, and a touchdown every 7.5 games

Yep, that's right. The Sideline Hall of Famer has scored 2 touchdowns in 15 career games against the Steelers. And considering the emphasis that the Bengals put on their Steeler matchups (a.k.a. "Steeler Week"), I'm suggesting that Johnson is not a big-game player.

Keep waiting, 85

Rather than waste any more time on a team going nowhere, I'd rather talk about an impressive all-around performance by the Steelers: they threw the ball, they ran the ball, they defended the run, they defended the pass, they created turnovers (OK, turnover)...they completely outclassed the Bengals, as usual.

Willie Parker was excellent, rambling for 126 yards and a TD on 26 carries. His longs, as I always point out for those who like to pretend they never happened, were 17 and 32 yards. For anyone who reads these weekly wrapups, you've probably noticed a trend: Parker is getting at least two sizable runs in each game. I'd rather have a gamebreaker like that than three yards, three yards, three yards, 4th-and-1.

Hines Ward had another strong performance, reeling in 8 catches for 88 yards and 2 TDs, giving him a total of 15 catches in the last two games. Ward started the season slowly, with just 9 catches in the first three games, but his presence has done nothing but strengthen the passing attack.

Santonio Holmes continued his domination in the state of Ohio, adding 6 catches for 87 yards. This all added up to a 19-26, 230 yard, 2 TD game for Large Ben. Roethlisberger repeatedly avoided the rush, wiggled out of potential sacks, and extended plays far beyond what was accepted.

With that being said, I must bring up this point: during the CBS broadcast, Dick Enberg was talking about Ben's last two "first halves" (Cincy and Denver), spouting off some impressive stats. Don't quote me, but it was something along the lines of 22-29, 5 TDs. It was a nice little story. Of course, Randy Cross had to immediately spoil the moment by saying, "Yeah...that would be a good half for Tom Brady."

Newest member of the Tom Brady Man-Crush Club

You see, comments like that are why people hate the Patriots and why people equally hate most announcers. They're watching a Steelers-Bengals game, witnessing an impressive performance by the Steelers QB, and we're being beat over the head with more Patriots banter.

And if I may continue my rant on telecasts, can we please put a moratorium on people trying to being funny and say when reading highlights, "Tom Brady...he's pretty good."

Ha ha ha. It's funny because the announcer is pretending that Tom Brady isn't any good, when he obviously is. It would be funnier if:

A. The joke hasn't been done 800 times already, or

B. The announcer was using it in reference to, say, Cleo Lemon or Damon Huard.

Obviously, I can't wait for a week's worth of build up for another Patriots regular season game next Sunday.

For my next rant, I'd like to talk about Carson Palmer, the ringless man universally regarded as better than Ben Roethlisberger. Once again, the QBs went head-to-head, and once again, Palmer went home on the losing end. For those of you scoring at home, the career scoreboard now looks like this: Roethlisberger 5, Palmer 2. Keep the stats, give me the wins. I'd take Roethlisberger over Palmer 100 times out of 100.

That's all the rants and Bengal/Patriot hatred I have in me for one morning. Regardless of how horrible their offense is, I'm sure Baltimore will put up a fight next Monday night, so count on another spiritied recap for a hated divisional opponent.

Thoughts from around the game, around the league, and around the sports world:

--Congrats to the Boston Red Sox on winning the World Series. It couldn't happen to a more humble, classy, non-obnoxious fan base. I can only hope that the Patriots win the Super Bowl, Boston College wins the BCS, the Celtics win the NBA Championship and the Bruins win the Stanley Cup.

--I was listening to ESPN radio on Friday and caught some of their "Fantasy Expert", Matthew Berry. You know, The Talented Mr. Roto? This guy couldn't talk up Brian Griese enough for the Bears game against Detroit. He hyped him to the point that you thought Griese would have 500 yards and 8 touchdowns, you know, just like Tom Brady has in the first half. He stopped just short of telling the host of the show to start Griese in front of Peyton Manning. Griese finished with 208 yards and 4 INTs. If there is a job that pays you for predictions and analysis like that, where do I sign up?

--Derek Anderson had another big game for the Browns yesterday. But have you noticed his opponents in these games? He's gone back to back against 0-8 St. Louis and 0-8 Miami. He also had a big game against the Bengals and their horrible defense. Of course, against the Steelers, his passer rating was 65, the Patriots 59, and Oakland (who actually has a good defense), 57. So let's not induct him into Canton alongside Chad Johnson just yet.

--The Jets-Bills game featured appearances by not one, not two, but four horrible QBs: JP Losman, Trent Edwards, Chad Pennington, and Kellen Clemens. Not surprisingly, a total of 16 points were scored.

--Everyone enjoy that Dolphins-Giants game from Foggy Londontown yesterday? NFL Globalization...feel the excitement!

--Vince Young continues to amaze me. 6 completions, 42 yards, and the Titans win yet again. I don't get it either.

--What's a more crushing defeat: the way Pitt lost on Saturday or the way Penn State lost Saturday?

10/26/2007

Wrapping Things Up

--A Seahawks fan travelled to Pittsburgh to watch the SBXL rematch a few weeks ago. Did he survive? This is his story.
--Yeah, we're just going to pretend that Penguins game never happened last night.

--The Pens' 3rd period was so bad, it made Matt Ryan barf at the BC-Va Tech game.

--So who might be getting traded in the NFL's offseason? If I were Chad Johnson, Jason Taylor, or Derek Anderson, I might not put a down payment on that new house just yet.
--Did you know that Jonathan Papelbon once traded a signed baseball for naked pics of some guy's wife?
--Here's a great NBA Eastern Conference Preview, with each team's drug/alcohol equivalent.
--Speaking of the NBA, former Pitt Panther Mark "Pass the" Blount is on the move again.
--Remember, Tom Brady could've been your team's quarterback. But we didn't need one in 2000, with Kent Graham and Kordell holding down the fort.
--Quote of the day: 'This year, the University of Texas athletics department will for the first time spend more than $100 million." (scroll down their page a bit for the story)
--For $25, the Excused Absence Network will provide you with a fake (but authentic looking) excuse.
--From the "Headline Says It All" Department: Scores Strippers Uninvited to School Halloween Party
--A major Elvis memorabilia collection was destroyed in the California fires.
--Long Island soccer mom gets bad directions to the game, Long Island soccer mom hits her daughter’s soccer coach with a folding chair for giving her the directions.
The 12 germiest places in your life (You really have to read this)

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Why My Team Will Be Better Than the Steelers

As promised to listeners of 1530 The Sports Animal in Cincinnati, here's the series of "Why My Team Will Be Better Than the Steelers" articles. They're quite hilarious to look back on as we near the halfway point of the season, especially for teams like the Dolphins, Jets, Rams, and yes, the Bengals.

Steelers All-Time Not So Much Team

The PG's Blog and Gold got into the spirit of the Steelers All-Time Team (you know, the one stirring up emotions such as, "Polamalu indifferent about his selection to 75th anniversary team"), and recently named their "Steelers All-Time Not So Much Team".
It features many of the usual suspects, including Tim Worley, Kent Graham, and Troy Edwards. Plus, it takes a shot at Steely McBeam, which is always good for brownie points among Steeler fans. However, for it to truly become the official Steelers All-Time Not So Much Team, it would have to have 33 men.

Steelers All-Time Not So Much Team (PG Blog N Gold)

Amazing Joe Paterno Photos

Wow, I can't believe JoePa's been caught in so many compromising situations this year. And these pictures are obviously real, since no software to digitally alter pictures has yet been invented. Someone needs anger management.






Actually, this one looks like it is real. And it is a classic.
By the way, these pics were sent to me from a Penn State alum, so I consider that as their blessing. Good luck in the big game this weekend.

10/25/2007

Mondesi's House on Cincinnati Radio

Friday morning will be an interesting one, as I will be the voice of Pittsburgh on Cincinnati's Gregg and Mo Show. Although one half of the show (Gregg Doyel) is out covering the World Series for CBS, the show must go on. So I'll be on at some point to talk Steelers-Bingles with co-host Mo Egger. Mo seems like an interesting personality, as you can see on his blog, which is highlighted by his "Top 300 Hotties" list.

UPDATE:

We're all set for 11 AM today (Friday Oct 26).

You can listen online at http://1530homer.com/main.html.

The All-Time Stillers


The Steelers just announced their all-time team, a highly-anticipated event that will culminate in a gala next Sunday at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center and at the Nov. 5 Monday night game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Unfortunately, the Steelers opted not for a 24-man team, but rather a 33-man team, thus eliminating any potential fun/debate that could have arisen. It's a death blow to sports talk radio, blogs, and message boards, which could've debated the merits of Player X vs. Player Y into the next millennium.
Personally, I would've gone with a full 53-man roster with practice squad rather than 33, a roster size that holds zero significance other than not offending any members of the Steeler family. Although I fear Kordell's feelings have already been hurt with his glaring omission.
But it's only an all-time team, after all. It's not something to get too upset about. So without further adieu, the Steelers' All-Time Team:

OFFENSE
Terry Bradshaw - Quarterback (1970-83)
Jerome Bettis - Running Back (1996-05)
Rocky Bleier - Running Back (1968, 1970-80)
Franco Harris - Running Back (1972-83)
Bennie Cunningham - Tight End (1976-85)
Elbie Nickel - Tight End (1947-57)
John Stallworth - Wide Receiver (1974-87)
Lynn Swann - Wide Receiver (1974-82)
Hines Ward - Wide Receiver (1998-Present)
Larry Brown – Offensive Tackle (1971-84)
Dermontti Dawson – Center (1988-00)
Alan Faneca – Guard (1998-Present)
Tunch Ilkin – Offensive Tackle (1980-92)
Jon Kolb – Offensive Tackle (1969-81)
Mike Webster – Center (1974-88)

DEFENSE
Joe Greene – Defensive Tackle (1969-81)
L.C. Greenwood – Defensive End (1969-81)
Casey Hampton – Nose Tackle (2001-Present)
Ernie Stautner – Defensive Tackle (1950-63)
Dwight White – Defensive End (1971-80)
Jack Ham – Outside Linebacker (1971-82)
Jack Lambert – Middle Linebacker (1974-84)
Greg Lloyd – Outside Linebacker (1988-97)
Joey Porter – Outside Linebacker (1999-2006)
Andy Russell – Outside Linebacker (1963, 1966-76)
Mel Blount – Cornerback (1970-83)
Jack Butler – Defensive Back (1951-59)
Carnell Lake – Safety (1989-98)
Troy Polamalu – Safety (2003-Present)
Donnie Shell – Safety (1974-87)
Rod Woodson – Cornerback (1987-96)
SPECIALISTS
Gary Anderson – Kicker (1982-94)
Bobby Walden – Punter (1968-77)

10/24/2007

Another Embarrassing Steeler Fan

Wow...this is simply painful to watch:

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The News

Got news? Email it to mondesishouse@gmail.com
--Congratulations to Jerry E. of Pittsburgh, winner of this week's contest, a Rings N'at T-shirt courtesy of Burghshirts.bigcartel.com. New contest starts tomorrow!
--Quite the performance by Marc-Andre Fleury last night as the Pens shut out the JaromiRangers, 1-0.

--Mike Tomlin defends Sunday night's game plan. Who are we to question it?
--Mel Stottlemyre is hired as the new Mariners pitching coach, killing my dream of watching Jim Colborn get the job and subsequently "Zach Duke" Felix Hernandez. That's right, I just used Zach Duke as a verb.
--A Michael Vick Halloween display is causing quite a stir in Tennessee.

-- An enormous Jason Taylor, the biggest animated human figure ever built at 26ft, is unleashed on London. And now there's video.

--Future Pirates, Cubs, and Penguins owner Mark Cuban is eliminated from Dancing with the Stars.
--If you think the Rockies can continue their historic run, you could make some serious cash over the next couple weeks.
--Stats, Analysis, and Fun Facts from the Steelers-Broncos, courtesy of Post Game Heroes.
--Sons of Sam Malone takes Me-Shawn Johnson to task for his interview with Ocho.
--Hey, Anna Kournikova's eating again!

--NBC's Notre Dame ratings are at an all-time low. I think now is a good time to extend Charlie Weis another 10 years. You know, when the value is low.

--A Wisconsin man found a 3.92 carat diamond at an Arkansas diamond park that's open to the public.
--A painting found in the trash could fetch up to $1 million. Is it me, or a lot of people finding valuables today?
A LIST OF TODAY'S TOP LISTS

10/23/2007

The News

Got news? Email it to mondesishouse@gmail.com and enter to win a Rings N'at T-shirt courtesy of Burghshirts.bigcartel.com! One day left in this week's contest!

--Momentum is building for the Penguins, who spent yesterday shopping with kids on behalf of Project Bundle-Up.

--PA lawmakers want all teams to retire Roberto Clemente's No. 21. That's your tax dollars at work, Pennsylvanians.

--Ron Cook researches Zombie Nation and tells us why the Nittany Lions could upset Ohio State this weekend.

--The Colts beat the Jaguars last night. That's funny, by listening to who the announcers were talking about, I thought I was watching a Patriots game. Apparently, Pro Football Talk thought the same (scroll down their page a bit for the story).

--Yeah, that was a pretty awkward interview with Russell Crowe in the booth last night.

--The officiating in Super Bowl XL creeps into an NBA Preview (item #7). You know, the game the Seahawks lost when the refs let Willie Parker loose for a 75-yard touchdown run.

--Wait, 2004 didn't happen?

--The Ghosts of Wayne Fontes argues that incentive-based contracts are here to stay.

--Sources are saying that Kobe Bryant could be traded this week. Any chance of the Miami Heat reuniting him with Shaq?

--Speaking of trades, Chad Johnson could be on his way out of Cincinnati. As emailer Keith (a Steeler fan in Cincy--poor guy) points out:

Here's my favorite part, the second to last paragraph after Johnson acknowledged there's some truth to the trade story:

“Everything I’ve done has always been positive, it’s always been fun. It’s never been a me, me, me thing. It’s how Chad plays the game. … I’ve been playing it the same way the past four years. I celebrate. I have fun with it. It is a dirty business. And to get the business side of it off my mind, I go out and have fun with it like I’m a little kid.”

So it's never been about him in one sentence, followed by a 3rd person reference to himself in the next sentence. And if a little kid broke out a future Hall of Fame jacket after making a play, I think his Pop Warner coach would show him the bench.

--WPIAL football fans can vote on the top seeds at Rizzo Sports.

--Check out this vintage, cringe-worthy pic of Antwaan Randle-El against the Brownies.

--Anyone want to buy the old Ookie Vick place?

--This probably took some coordinating.

--Philadelphia has the least attractive people in the United States, according to a new survey. Of course, they're not talking about Flyer fans. They're exquisite.

--It's the oldest living Nittany Lions mascot! Ironically, he's 30 years younger than Joe Paterno.

--Here's everything you need to know about the NHL last week in one neat, tidy post.

--WWTDD tries to clear up any doubt about Jake Gyllenhaal.

--From the "Great Headlines" Department: Officer Swerves To Miss Cats, Hits Building

--Ellen Degeneres seems really sad about this dog situation. Too bad she's done it nine times.

A LIST OF TODAY'S TOP LISTS

THE 50 MOST STYLISH MEN OF THE PAST 50 YEARS

The Top 10 Celebrity Buttafaces

The 10 "Greatest" Crying Moments In Sports Video History