Alvarez, who is represented by superagent Scott Boras, has caused a bit of a stir with his contract requests.  He will instantly become the highest paid player in Pittsburgh Pirates history (a distinction currently owned by Matt Morris), completely disregarding MLB’s slotting system that recommends contract size based on the number of draft pick.  Additionally, Alvarez wants a guaranteed major league contract, meaning that the Pirates will need to immediately burn one of his options to send him to the minors.

It shows that the Pirates are serious about acquiring talent and may be willing to break the bank to do so.  Alvarez may be playing in Pittsburgh as soon as next year.  The team’s commitment to picking the top player on the board, regardless of financial matters, is refreshing.  Hopefully there will be no more Daniel Moskos over Matt Wieters scenarios.  Sorry Danny, but unless you become a star, you’ll be hearing complaints from Pirate fans about that draft for the rest of your life.

For the time being, lefty Phil Dumatrait will take the spot vacated by Morris.  Dumatrait performed admirably in relief on Saturday, retiring 10 consecutive batters before faltering a bit and letting up one run.  Acquired from the Cincinnati Reds this offseason, Dumatrait was an International League (AAA) all-star.  John Van Benschoten was recalled from Indianapolis to take Morris’ roster spot, but he will be in the bullpen.

What is wrong with Brian Bixler?

Bixler is completely overmatched at the major league level.  After losing Don Kelly to Arizona and Matt Kata to Colorado (he has since been reaquired) then demoting Josh Wilson to Indianapolis, the Pirates had no contingency plan should Jack Wilson get hurt.  Of course they had Luis Rivas, but he is no everyday MLB shortstop.  The Pirates had no choice but to promote Bixler and subject him to trial by fire, and thus far he has failed miserably.  He commited two awful errors on Saturday and is hitting a mere .182.  Still, I don’t think it is entirely his fault.  He deserved another season at AAA to work on his defense and to learn to hit curveballs.  Unfortunately, a lack of foresight by the organization has denied him that opportunity.

Why does Paul Maholm perform well at home but get rocked on the road?

The differences are profound.  Maholm sports an 8.10 ERA on the road, but is carrying a dominating 0.79 ERA at home.  I have no explanation for this, especially because the Pirates have little to no homefield advantage.  When the Penguins are playing, the Pirates are lucky to get 10 thousand into their seats.  On Saturday, the crowd was predominantly Phillies fans.  The Pirates were booed (though that may have come from Bucco fans too) and the Phillies players received loud cheers.  Nevertheless, I think the Pirates should tweak the rotation so that all of Maholm’s starts come at home.

How does Jason Bay have only 8 RBIs when he has 5 homeruns?

Anything is possible on a team whose regular cleanup hitter (LaRoche) is batting a whopping .165 with one homerun after two hits today.  Bay has been hit or miss thus far.  He is good for harmless singles, homeruns (one of which won a game and another kept us in a game long enough to lose in the 15th inning), or most frequently, outs.  Every single one of his RBIs have come from homeruns.  Don’t blame it on the people hitting in front of him.  Nate McLouth, Freddy Sanchez, and Xavier Nady are all getting on base consistently.  For some reason, Bay isn’t knocking runs in.

And the most frequently asked question lately…

Is Nate McLouth on steroids?

Though his hitting streak was snapped, McLouth has gone from competing for a starting job to carrying a .333 average.  He managed to hit three homeruns in a span of four at-bats stretching from the 8th inning Saturday to the 5th inning on Sunday.  We repeatedly referred to him as a “sparkplug” last year, but I don’t think anyone expected this kind of output from him.  Hopefully he’ll keep his speed and not end up like a certain former speedy Pirates outfielder. Don’t worry Nate. I’ll testify for you if you end up in court.

These aren’t all of the Pirates’ issues.  They need to figure out whats going on at first and third base, if they should keep Xavier Nady or trade him while he’s valuable, how they can work Ryan Doumit into the lineup more often, how they can open up a spot for Steve Pearce, and why Evan Meek is still in the bullpen.  Does anyone else have questions for the team?

Gary Roberts is a unique physical specimen.  How many 42 year olds can recover from a broken leg and an ankle sprain, then come back and play a professional sport without any drop off in production?  Roberts not only scored two goals in this game, but he beat up on players half his age.  After delivering a ferocious hit, Roberts was attacked by not one, not two, but three Senators, and he still managed to escape unscathed.  In fact, he came back out of the locker room tunnel after he was ejected to ask for more.

Roberts acted as the grizzled team leader that he was brought onboard to be, and he led the way in tonight’s dismantling of the Senators.

And if you thought tonight couldn’t get much better, you were wrong. Pittsburgh Steelers’ mascot Steely McBeam has been relieved of his duties after being charged with a DUI.

Past efforts have proved to be ineffective in restricting the usage of these substances; they are considered illegal by the legislation of each sport’s governing body as well as by federal legislation, yet more people than ever are using them. There is only one viable solution to this impending epidemic: require a strict regimen of steroids and growth hormones to be administered to every single athlete across our fair nation.

Its the only logical course of action. Nullify the advantages gained by those who are willing to violate laws and spend large amounts of money by turning the average athlete into a muscle-bound monster. This will merely raise the bar higher for all athletes while maintaining a proper distribution of talent. Statistical gurus will notice an increase in mean while the standard deviation remains constant. Players will perform at generally greater levels but a noticeable difference will remain between the Alex Rodriguezes and the Nyjer Morgans of the world.

Some players will still be better than others, but everyone will be better than they were before. By starting these treatments in high school and college, while young athletes are still developing mentally and physically, rookies will immediately be ready to play at the next level. Games will be more intense and more exciting, while athletes a better, faster, and stronger than ever – its a win-win situation.

As with every option, there are drawbacks, but they are merely a matter of perspective. To some, shrunken testicles and sterility is a negative. To a globe trotting athlete, however, it means that they will no longer have to worry about out-of-wedlock children and mounting child support payments. If Denver Broncos running back Travis Henry had been on steroids, he would not have fathered nine children to nine mothers in nine different cities. For that matter, child support would not have forced him to file bankruptcy even though he earns more than one million dollars per year. Steroids have the ability to solve more problems than one.

By forcing every player to take steroids, individual players, trainers, and suppliers save money. Players and their trainers no longer have to waste money on needles that they will only use once; instead, they can use the same needle kit to inject an entire team. The steroid suppliers save money because they will no longer need drug mules to bring their goods into the country and then pay to ship them out to each individual client. The newly legal chemicals can be shipped directly to sports teams in one cheap package. Furthermore, the mainstream acceptance of steroids greatly increases the likelihood of new research and development in the field.

More efficient and effective steroids could begin to appear on the market. A new industry could be created around legal steroid production and distribution. While at first glance the legalization and mass distribution of steroids and performance enhancers may appear to be harmful to society, the pros clearly outweigh the cons after closer inspection.

An associate of mine who happens to be involved with Major League Baseball provided me with a typical regimen for a juiced up player. It consists of equal parts “flaxseed oil” and actual flaxseed oil, with a healthy dosage of “the clear” mixed in with “the cream” and some horse tranquilizers with similarly coded names. “The clear” is occasionally difficult to obtain, as it involves harvesting the pituitary glands of recently deceased corpses. It can, however, be easily replaced with more expensive synthetic versions of the substance. This synthetic compound also tastes and smells significantly better than its organic counterpart, so, if the player is willing to cough up the extra cash, it is a viable replacement for the treatment.

A similar regimen should be standardized and prepared for distribution among every professional athlete in the United States of America, with junior sized kits for amateurs and minors. On average, each player will add approximately thirty pounds of muscle and fifteen pounds of body hair, causing each player to be as manly as the next thereby nullifying the gains of any player who took steroids before they were mandated.

As it stands, any player who is willing to break laws and give up large amounts of their salary can receive drugs and hormone treatments that will allow them to compete with even the strongest competition. The simple solution to this problem is to provide similar treatments to the rule-breakers’ competitors, thereby closing the gap and restoring the balance of talent. The negative biological responses to these chemicals are minor drawbacks, and when place in the proper perspective, can be seen as benefits.

As steroids move into the mainstream, it will become more acceptable to place research and development funding into the industry, ultimately lowering the cost of and improving the effectiveness of these treatments. Along with the restoration of competition comes a much appreciated economic boost to the pharmaceuticals industry. Sports will become more entertaining.

Who wouldn’t appreciate a dozen or more home runs in a baseball game to go along with pitchers lobbing the ball over the plate at a breezy 200 miles per hour? The record book will be rewritten ten times over, and as recent events have shown, everyone loves a record chase, even a tainted one. Thus, it must be concluded that the only way to end the problem of illegal steroid use in sports is to not only legalize it, but in fact mandate it. Athletic competition will only be bettered by increased steroid usage.

I personally recommend his autobiography, Double Yoi!, a humorous look back on his entry into sports journalism and some tales from the booth.  In a chapter detailing his fondness for nicknames, Cope wrote:

Chris Fuamatu-Ma`afala? I blurted into my microphone, “The Steelers have just made their sixth-round pick. He is runnning back Chris Fuamatu of Alfalfa State!”

Of course, no such college existed, but who knew? … I thereupon announced a reasonable facsimile of his name and told our audience, “From here in, that guy is Fu.”

Tributes are beginning to pour in for the late broadcaster.  The University of Pittsburgh is requesting that fans attending the mens basketball game against Cincinatti bring their Terrible Towels, and Pittsburgh radio station B94 has cued up a tribute for him that his been playing throughout the day.  The audio is available below, and I apologize for B94’s selection of Daughtry as background music.

• Sam Young is a ballhog, but as long as he makes the shots, we have no reason to complain.  That alley-oop better be headlining SportsCenter.
• Since when does Bradley Wannamaker have the guts to shoot? And when did he get good at it?  He has shown a lot of improvement over the past two games, and he looks like he could run the point in a few years.  He reminds me of Antonio Graves, and should continue to get better over the course of his career.
• Jeff Xavier of Providence was on fire, hitting three contended three-pointers in the first three and a half minutes, but disappeared for the rest of the game.  He went 1-5 from beyond the arc after the first few minutes, with the only made basket occurring in garbage time.
• I will never again argue a travelling no-call after Young picked up the ball beyond the arc and ran in for a layup in the second half.
• I don’t like you, Geoff McDermott.  And neither does anyone at the University of Pittsburgh, for that matter.  From the start, you were a jerk, making hard fouls that easily could have been called technicals.  You failed the first time when you tried a monster dunk, but you had to go and try it again.  Even after you made it, the student section chanted “You still suck!”  Was it really worth it?
• McDermott also took the full media timeout before sitting down after fouling out. The student section still yelled “Left, Right, Left, Right” with every step he took over the course of five minutes.
• Gary McGhee is incredibly clumsy. He couldn’t hang onto the ball and took a few bad fouls. He got a standing ovation when a failed dunk rolled around the rim and in. I still think he can be a valuable contributor in the long run.  When he stays out of foul trouble, he’s good for a few points and some time to breathe for Young and DeJuan Blair.
• Is Keith Benjamin hurt? He had 2 consectutive steals that led to fastbreaks, but he didn’t dunk either time. Coming from one of the best dunkers on the team, I’m slightly concerned. And where did those 10 points come from?
• I don’t know whether to congratulate or smack Tim Frye. The fan-favorite walk-on got into the game with a minute to go and had a WIDE open three (no one within 10 feet), but he didn’t take the shot. He held the ball for the final 15 seconds of the game. It was either a fine display of sportsmanship, or a stupid move by a player who should be making the most of his playing time. I can’t decide.
• Ronald Ramon got his touch back, netting 15 points, all on three-pointers.  I’m sure he can’t wait for the return of Levance Fields so that he doesn’t have to run the point and has more scoring opportunities.
• Speaking of injured players, I’ve been wondering where Austin Wallace and Mike Cook sit during games, both of whom are out for the year after knee surgeries.  Are they even at the PEC?  Fields has been making fashion statements on the bench and is a very vocal cheerleader for the team, but the other two are nowhere to be found.
• Gilbert Brown is one of my favorite players on the team, whether he performs or not.  He has the potential to be the next Julius Page, and not just because he wears a headband.  Brown can shoot from anywhere on the floor and has the highest vertical leap I’ve ever seen.  He’s been with the team for two years, but is only a freshman due to a medical redshirt last year.  By the time his eligibility expires, he will be the star player on this team.

That’s all I’ve got for now.  Time for some sleep.

Record: 63-93

Position Players

Jason Kendall – By a catcher’s standards, he was an iron man. He started 152 games only one season after he shattered his ankle in an extremely gruesome injury on Independence Day, bouncing back with a .320 batting average and managing to steal 22 bases as the the team’s leadoff hitter. Not too shabby for someone who provided the wrong kind of fireworks at everyone’s 4th of July picnics a year earlier.

Kevin Young – Young was the team’s first baseman since 1992 (with a short stint with the Kansas City Royals in ‘96), a.k.a. the last time that the Pirates made the playoffs. He even got a vote for MVP in 1997, when he had a career high B.A. of .300. However, in 2000, he is most notable for milking his career .267 average (which would continue to drop) into $24 million over the next 4 years.

Warren Morris – This journeyman second baseman showed some talent in ‘99 (third place in rookie of the year voting, beating out teammate Kris Benson), but all traces of it disappeared by 2000. In more at-bats, he dropped 30 RBIs and 12 homeruns. However, he was kind enough to hit one of his three homeruns this season into the section of Three Rivers Stadium that my friend was having his birthday party in.

Aramis Ramirez – He only started third base in half the games this season, and he didn’t even show the potential that would make him an all-star and MVP candidate for the Chicago Cubs. He batted a measly .256 and hit only 6 homeruns, lacking the power that makes him so menacing today. At least one of Ramirez’s good years was spent with the Pirates…

Pat Meares – Similar to Kevin Young, this bum signed a massive contract after hitting .308 in 1999. Now, thats a respectable average that would earn most people large contracts, however, Cam Bonifay failed to realize that the average was through only 21 games! He followed up on his end of the deal by hitting .240 and getting hurt the next year, which I don’t even want to talk about right now.

Wil Cordero - Cordero played LF for 85 games in the 2000 season until he was traded to Cleveland for Enrique Wilson and Alex Ramirez. Cordero’s career can best be summed up by this little tidbit: He is one of the few players whose Baseball Reference page is not sponsored by anyone. His career was so mediocre to bad that no one wants to be known as the idiot who paid $15 for his page. Despite this, however, Cordero was a solid hitter while he was with Pittsburgh, hitting 16 home runs and stacking up 51 RBIs over 348 ABs. His numbers aren’t nearly as bad as I remember him being.

Brian Giles - Before Jason Bay, Giles was this team’s stud, in more ways than one. Giles, then and now, had a habit of loitering in the clubhouse in his birthday suit. He even took batting practice naked while at Three Rivers Stadium. He is definitely one of the goofier all-stars to play the game.

John Vander Wal – For one reason or another, Vander Wal appears in my memory as a very streaky hitter who I greatly disliked. However, history will show that he came over to the Pirates from San Diego in exchange for Al Martin (my favorite player in World Series Baseball for the Sega Saturn) and went on to have the best season of his career. He hit .299 in 2000 and, according to Wikipedia, “is considered to be one of the best pinch hitters in major-league history.” That didn’t stop him from being sent to San Francisco with Jason Schmidt, en route to playing for eight different teams in his career.

Adrian Brown - Brown hit the major leagues for his second extended stint in the early stages of this season and hung around for 104 games, hitting .315 in the process and looking like someone who could be a part of the Pirates’ future. He was, however, 26 during the 2000 season and would stick around as little more than a midseason call-up/defensive replacement kind of guy for the next six years until finally retiring after the 2006 season.

Luis Sojo - Sojo, who is better known for being a utility infielder with the Yankees, was traded to the Bronx Bombers in the middle of the season for RHP Chris Spurling, but not before he played in 61 games for the Pirates, 50 of which were at 3B. Sojo has a website named after him, the Futility Infielder, and now coaches for the Tampa Yankees, the Yankees’ A-ball team. It is nice to know that he found a place where he could put his excellent pornstache to good use.

Mike Benjamin – One little known fact about Mike Benjamin is that, while with the San Francisco Giants in 1995, he had 14 hits in a three-game streak, a major league record. By the time he was known mainly for having some of the most phenomenal facial hair this side of the fu manchu (you can sort of see it in that picture to the right). Oh, he had 233 ABs for the Pirates, hitting .270 with an OBP of .313 and a SLG of .391. He played games at every infield position, but fortunately was not called on to pitch (as he was in Boston during the 1997 season, when he pitched one scoreless inning) even though he may have been significantly better than the Pirates’ pitching staff.

Bruce Aven - Aven was a semi-capable outfielder who had a really sweet blond goatee. He was picked up from the Florida Marlins for Brant Brown in a trade of one bad outfielder for another, and ended up leaving Pittsburgh on August 6 as the “player to be named later” in a trade with Los Angeles (the Dodgers, not that team with six names). Aven was decent during his brief stint in Pittsburgh, hitting .250 in 136 ABs with five home runs.

Enrique Wilson – This journeyman infielder came over in the Wil Cordero trade and went on to play in parts of two seasons for the Pirates, hitting .262 over 122 ABs. Wilson filled in all over the infield, but is perhaps best known for going on to play for the Yankees from 2001-2004 as a vital cog on their bench. Just by sticking around as long as he did (until 2005), Wilson’s career was a success.

Emil Brown - Brown appeared as if he was a totally worthless player when the Pirates dumped him for two minor leaguers in the midst of the 2001 season, as Brown was coming off of a season where he had hit .218 for the Pirates while showing no sign of power whatsoever. Brown, however, went on to become a decent major league player, leading the Kansas City Royals in RBIs three years in a row and now signing with Billy Beane’s Oakland Athletics. Out of all of the players whose careers seemed totally over upon leaving Pittsburgh, Brown is far and away the most successful and pleasant surprise.

Alex Ramirez - Along with Enrique Wilson, Ramirez was picked up from the Cleveland Indians in the Wil Cordero trade. Ramirez seemed like a decent prospect at the time of the trade and I remember that he was one of my favorite Pirates when it went down. Apparently both I and Pirates’ management were delusional or confused by Ramirez’s past numbers (actually, I’m pretty sure I had already confused him for Aramis Ramirez, who had already had two brief stints with the Pirates and was excelling at AAA in 2000). Before the trade, Ramirez had seemed like a potentially decent major league player, hitting for average but not power over parts of two seasons with Cleveland. He hit Pittsburgh, however, and the bottom dropped out. Ramirez hit .209 over 115 ABs, but was sold by the Pirates to the Yakult Swallows of the Japanese Central League. Ramirez developed into one the premier players in Japanese Baseball, on par with Kaisuke Fukudome, the outfielder the Cubs recently signed for $48 million over four years. It is nice to know that at least one of the Pirates from 2000 had a legitimate career in baseball after Pittsburgh.

Chad Hermansen – Hermansen was still a hot prospect in 2000, but began to show the signs of deterioration that would lead to his name being burned into the minds of every Pirate fan along with that of such notaries as J.J. Davis. Hermansen’s path to patheticness began here, where he hit .185 over 108 at-bats, demonstrating the suckitude that Pirate fans would come to expect out of their least favorite prospect (who most recently signed with the Los Angeles Angles of Anaheim).

Alex Hernandez - Apparently once a legitimate prospect, Hernandez was selected by the Pirates in the fourth round of the 1995 draft. He showed signs of developing into a sort of off-the bench guy who could hit for average in some situations, but would find it difficult to develop power. As a result, Hernandez struggled mightily over 60 at-bats, only eking out 12 hits. He was out of North American baseball two years later.

John Wehner - There is no way I can beat the analysis from Mondesi’s House regarding the Pirate’s current announcer. So I won’t even bother.

Adam Hyzdu - This guy came incredibly close to killing my brother with a homerun ball, and I’m not even joking. On August 18th, 2002 (it was pretty easy to find the date…he didn’t hit many homers), my brother decided to take some friends to a ballgame for an impromptu birthday party. In the fourth inning, Hyzdu crushed a ball right into our section. Fortunately, my brother was up getting nachos and not in his seat, which shattered upon impact with the ball. Hyzdu entered the bigs in 2000 with a bang, hitting .389 with a pair of doubles and home run in 12 games. However, he would go on to never hit more than 6 doubles or 11 home runs in a season. After being cut by the Pirates a few seasons later, he clung on with an assortment of other teams, including the Boston Red Sex and the San Diego Padres. He was most recently spotted on the Texas Rangers in 2006, where he appeared twice and amassed four at-bats.

Tike Redman - The namesake of this fair site recieved his first big league call-up this year. In 9 games, he hit .333 with a home run, giving fans a taste of this guy’s potential. Too bad it was the highest average of his career up until his time with the Baltimore Orioles last season.

Ivan Cruz - Similar to Redman, Cruz was given a shot in September. Unfortunately for him, he hit only .091 and was not invited back for 2001. He eventually made it back to the majors with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2002, managing .357 in 14 at bats, allowing him to leave baseball with a career .273 average.

“Pitt’s out, period. I won’t go there, for sure.”

I think that should put an end to all speculation about Terrelle Pryor attending the University of Pittsburgh.

After initially committing to Pitt during his sophomore year, the #1 recruit in the nation and Army All-American Bowl MVP changed his mind last year and reopened his recruitment. While Pitt never made the list of Pryor’s top five schools after he decommitted, Panther fans have been desperately holding out hope, especially after Pitt’s success on the recruiting trail this year. Even though positive signs for Pitt appear to be everywhere, Pryor has repeatedly shot them down. At the All-American Bowl, Pryor roomed with Pitt-commit Jonathan Baldwin (“I wasn’t in the room a lot, so I didn’t really talk to him.”). He attended the Pitt-Georgetown basketball game last week and everyone at The Pete chanted his name (“I was there to watch ‘Big Fella.’ They’re still trying to recruit me. They’re just doing their job. That’s no knock on them.”).

Last night, KDKA reported that Pryor would make an official visit to Pitt despite not actually considering the Panthers. This seemed very odd at the time and most Panther fans (myself included) figured that something was up. I was preparing to write a post about how Pryor wants to be the kid who gets a lot of attention by changing his mind right before his national press conference. Then, however, I saw that both the Post-Gazette and the Tribune-Review were reporting that the story was untrue and that Pryor was not actually going to visit Pitt. It also dawned on me that Pitt only has one scholarship remaining, and quarterback is definitely one of their deeper positions (six players, at last count, including Pat Bostick, last year’s five-star QB; Greg Cross, a four-star JUCO recruit; and Bill Stull, last year’s starter who looked like an excellent fit in the offense, was injured at the beginning of the year).

It seems to me that Pryor will be heading to Michigan, even though the Wolverines were not even on his radar until Rich Rodriguez was brought on board as the new head coach (Pryor was considering WVU before Rodriguez and his spread offense infamously left Morgantown). Last night, after denying the Pitt rumors, Pryor stated “I want to play in a college town, a facility that has 100,000 and is packed.” Only two schools, Michigan and Penn State (another finalist), fit that description. But don’t get too excited Nittany Lions faithful. Pryor turned down Penn State’s invitation to visit, saying that they “asked me to come on the [January] 18th, and I never answered. I’ve been there so many times, I don’t need to see anything.”

Even Ryan Mallet, Michigan’s five-star freshman quarterback from last season, saw the writing on the wall, and has arranged a transfer to the University of Arkansas.

Still, this is no reason for Pitt fans to be upset. Almost every sports network put out an extremely early preseason top 25 list this week, and Pitt was on most of them. For your convenience, I’ve excerpted them all below.

Sports Illustrated – #25

Who’s back: RB LeSean McCoy, WR Derek Kinder (injured in ‘07), DE Greg Romeus, LB Scott McKillop.
Who’s not: T Jeff Otah, DE Joe Clermond, S Mike Phillips.
Skinny: The young Panthers provided a glimpse of the future with upsets of the Big East’s top two teams, West Virginia and Cincinnati, and fielded the nation’s No. 5 defense.

ESPN – #22

The Panthers have reason for optimism after upsetting West Virginia 13-9 in the regular-season finale, a loss that cost the Mountaineers a chance to play for the BCS championship. Dave Wannstedt failed to produce a winning record in his first three seasons as coach of his alma mater, but the Panthers seem ready to turn the corner in 2008. Pitt lost four games by seven points or fewer in 2007. Seven starters are expected back on both offense and defense. Tailback LeSean McCoy ran for 1,328 yards and 14 touchdowns as a freshman, and freshman quarterback Pat Bostick was much improved by season’s end. Receiver Derek Kinder and defensive tackle Gus Mustakas will return from season-ending knee injuries. Linebacker Scott McKillop led the country with 151 tackles and led a defense that showed bite in 2007.

ESPN (Most Improved) – #2

All hail the ’stache! The Panthers emerged from a four-game losing skid to upset No. 23 Cincinnati and finished off the season by wrecking the title hopes of West Virginia in Morgantown. Pitt will return many of the leaders of the nation’s No. 7 defense as well as one of the country’s top young running backs in LeSean McCoy. They also hope to get back smooth WR Derek Kinder, an All-Big East pick in 2006, who underwent season-ending knee surgery during training camp. QB Bill Stull, another former starter, also will return from injury, and he will try and beat out Pat Bostick, the talented true freshman who finished the season as Pitt’s starter. DT Gus Mustakas, a rugged inside presence, missed the final 10 games of the season after knee surgery and also should be back, as will tackle machine Scott McKillop. I think the Panthers’ patience with Dave Wannstedt will pay off with a return to the Top 25 next season and maybe even a Big East title.

CBS Sportsline – #22

Momentum from the West Virginia win carries over. So do two stars from the future — tailback LeSean McCoy and linebacker Scott McKillop, the Big East Defensive Player of the Year.
Why here? Sure, it’s a reach but Dave Wannstedt is making great strides in recruiting.Defining game: TBA vs. West Virginia

Sporting News – #25

Believe it: Exciting TB LeSean McCoy carries the Panthers — and beleaguered coach Dave Wannstedt — into the elite of the Big East.

Scout.com – #21

2008 will be their breakout season. It’s time for the Panthers to turn the corner. They will contend with West Virginia and South Florida for the Big East title. If not, they could be looking for a new coach.

Sebastian the Ibis (University of Miami Hurricanes)
Our first video has been floating around the net for a while and could be credited with starting the mascot Soulja Boy dance fad.

George Washington (George Washington University)
Our nation’s first president would surely roll over in his grave if he saw a 13-foot tall replica of himself breaking it down.

Cocky (University of South Carolina)
Cocky is a well-known dancer who also likes to walk it out. Unfortunately, you’ll need to look past some lady who also things she can dance. Leave it to the professionals.

Hooper (Detroit Pistons)
Who said only college kids are allowed to Soulja Boy?

Testudo (University of Maryland)
Note to cameraman: tilting the camera sideways only makes your viewers nauseous. Loading...

Avalanche and Friends (Kutztown University)
Where exactly is Kutztown University? Who knows, but their mascot, along with a crayon and some Hershey candybars, really knows how to crank that.

Black Knight (Army)
I didn’t think they allowed these shenanigans in the Army. I guess it’s “Don’t ask, don’t tell.”

Gunston (George Mason)
I’m not sure what Gunston is, but I think he’s the spawn of Oscar the Grouch and Elmo.

Bevo (University of Texas)
It looks like Bevo doesn’t know the whole dance, but he certainly likes to superman… Loading...

HokieBird (Virginia Tech)
Cheered on by a group of bandies, the HokieBird puts on a short by sweet show. Loading...

Truman the Tiger (University of Missouri)
Always one to please the fans, Truman jumps into his own sped-up rendition of the dance. Loading...

A Lot of Mascots at Soldier Field
For unknown reasons, nearly a dozen mascots made their way onto Soldier Field on December 2nd and started doing the Soulja Boy during a TV timeout. I could probably work in a Soulja-Soldier reference but I’m drawing a blank.

NCAA Mascot Camp
There is a potpourri of mascots in this video, including Cocky from South Carolina (he really likes this dance) and Rameses the Ram of North Carolina. The synchronized Soulja Boy begins at about 40 seconds into the routine.

What if Hines Ward’s catch on the first two point attempt had not been wiped out by holding?

What if Maurice Jones-Drew had not returned the kickoff 92 yards?

What if Rashean Mathis had not returned the interception for a touchdown?

What if Ben Roethlisberger had not thrown an interception while the team was in field goal range?

What if the defense made the stop of 4th-and-2?

What if the offensive line did not need to resort to Trai Essex, the third-string tackle?

What if Willie Parker was not hurt?
Or Aaron Smith?
Or Ryan Clark?
Or Dan Kreider?

What if the Steelers had played San Diego instead?

What if they had won a few more games and received a bye?

What if Anthony Smith had not run his mouth?

What if Willie Reid had panned out?

What if Alan Faneca had not publicly stated that he wanted to leave after this season?

What if Jeff Hartings had not retired?

What if the Steelers had not released Joey Porter?

What if Bill Cowher was still the head coach?