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  • STEEL CURTAIN RADIO #19: SACKS
  • Pirates P Ian Snell contemplated suicide
  • 2003 Steroid List
  • Pirates at it again: Nyjer Morgan traded to Washington
  • Huge Jackman. Steroids or simply diet and exercise?
  • Same Old Pirates? The longest rebuilding effort in the history of sports
  • Reebok City of Champions Shirt
  • Big soccer match today: USA vs SPAIN in the Confederations Cup
  • 2009 City of Champions youtube
  • STEEL CURTAIN RADIO #8: SALARY CAP 101 w/ Ian Whetstone (Replay)

STEEL CURTAIN RADIO #19: SACKS

By Lance Williams | July 1, 2009

–
Lance L.Williams

Topics: Steelers, podcast | No Comments »

Pirates P Ian Snell contemplated suicide

By Dagger | July 1, 2009

Pirates P Ian Snell admitted to the media today that before requesting to be sent to the minor leagues, he contemplated suicide. His up-and-down ride through MLB over the last few years and media/blogger scrutiny over the past few months sent him over the edge. It’s not very often a guy asks to be demoted down to the minors; he’s obviously going through a tough time. We like Snell and he has all the potential in the world so we hope he picks himself up and gets himself back on track. I’m 90% certain his next start in the majors will be in another uniform as I think a change of scenery and a fresh start might be just what the doctor ordered in this case.

The right hander asked the Pirates manager for a demotion to the minor leagues.

“Whatever anyone thinks, that’s totally fine,” Snell said in the interview.

“Well, since we never played baseball, maybe you can explain it to us, pal?” a reporter asked.

“I’m just going to get my thoughts together, pal,” Snell replied. “You know? I’m not your pal.”

The Pirates agreed to send Snell back to the Indians. Sunday, he blew away the competition in his first start with Indianapolis. After walking the leadoff hitter, he struck out 13 straight batters and finished with 17 strikeouts in the game.

“I just wanted to come out and give them my best and try my best, because I had a lot of things going through my head,” Snell told Eyewitness News. “A lot of demons to get out of me. The best way to do it is go out and pitch.”

But Triple-A hasn’t been much of a challenge for Snell. But why is he playing at this level? Snell says he’s doing it to save his life. A month ago, he says he contemplated suicide.

“Sometimes people do stupid stuff and I had to fight it, not to do something stupid and take my life for myself and from my family and my parents,” he said.

He says, emotionally, he hit rock bottom and has been battling depression. When he had bad games with the Pirates, negative comments from the media or on the Internet bothered him, so he wanted to leave Pittsburgh.

“I just want to say sorry to all the bloggers and media people for saying they don’t know anything. But I didn’t mean anything by it,” Snell said. “I was just upset at the time.”

He says family, friends and God helped him get back on track.

“Seek God and positive people around you and look for your true friends and they’ll come out and support you,” Snell said. “A lot of people support me right now. I’m just grateful, because if I didn’t have them, I probably wouldn’t be standing here right now.”

Read the full MSNBC article here:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31674893/ns

Topics: Baseball, Pittsburgh Pirates | 4 Comments »

2003 Steroid List

By admin | June 30, 2009

This list has been making the rounds over the past few days.  Here are the guys that allegedly tested positive for steroids back in ‘03 when this issue was really popping.  It’s fun to go through this list and look at the guys that went through injury issues around 2003 (before/after) and it’s also nice to point and laugh at the guys that were good players but suddenly went downhill after the steroid issue took center stage.

1.Nomar Garciaparra
2.Manny Ramirez
3.Johnny Damon
4.Trot Nixon
5.David Ortiz
6.Shea Hillenbrand
7.Derek Lowe
8.Pedro Martinez
9.Brian Roberts
10.Jay Gibbons
11.Melvin Mora
12.Jerry Hairston
13.Jason Giambi
14.Alfonso Soriano
15.Raul Mondesi
16. Aaron Boone
17.Andy Pettitte
18.Jose Contreras
19.Roger Clemens
20.Carlos Delgado
21.Vernon Wells
22.Frank Catalanotto
23.Kenny Rogers
24.Magglio Ordonez
25.Sandy Alomar
26.Bartolo Colon
27.Brent Abernathy
28.Jose Lima
29.Milton Bradley
30.Casey Blake
31.Danys Baez
32.Craig Monroe
33.Dmitri Young
34.Alex Sanchez
35.Eric Chavez
36.Miguel Tejada
37.Eric Byrnes
38.Jose Guillen
39.Keith Foulke
40.Ricardo Rincon
41.Bret Boone
42.Mike Cameron
43.Randy Winn
44.Ryan Franklin
45.Freddy Garcia
46.Rafael Soriano
47.Scott Spiezio
48.Troy Glaus
49.Francisco Rodriguez
50.Ben Weber
51.Alex Rodriguez
52.Juan Gonzalez
53.Rafael Palmeiro
54.Carl Everett
55.Javy Lopez
56.Gary Sheffield
57.Mike Hampton
58.Ivan Rodriguez
59.Derrek Lee
60.Bobby Abreu
61.Terry Adams
62.Fernando Tatis
63.Livan Hernandez
64.Hector Almonte
65.Tony Armas
66.Dan Smith
67.Roberto Alomar
68.Cliff Floyd
69.Roger Cedeno
70.Jeromy Burnitz
71.Moises Alou
72.Sammy Sosa
73.Corey Patterson
74.Carlos Zambrano
75.Mark Prior
76.Kerry Wood
77.Matt Clement
78.Antonio Alfonseca
79.Juan Cruz
80.Aramis Ramirez
81.Craig Wilson
82.Kris Benson
83.Richie Sexson
84.Geoff Jenkins
85.Valerio de los Santos
86.Benito Santiago
87.Rich Aurilia
88.Barry Bonds
89.Andres Galarraga
90.Jason Schmidt
91.Felix Rodriguez
92.Jason Christiansen
93.Matt Herges
94.Paul Lo Duca
95.Shawn Green
96.Oliver Perez
97.Adrian Beltre
98.Eric Gagne
99.Guillermo Mota
100.Luis Gonzalez
101.Todd Helton
102.Ryan Klesko
103.Gary Matthews

Topics: Baseball | 6 Comments »

Pirates at it again: Nyjer Morgan traded to Washington

By Dagger | June 30, 2009

Just when you find yourself becoming a fan of a Pittsburgh Pirate he gets taken from you.  Bay, Nady, McLouth, and now fan-favorite Nyjer Morgan has been shown the door.  At least this time we’ve actually heard of the player(s) coming back to Pittsburgh in the trade.  MLB.com has the info

WASHINGTON — The Nationals have traded reliever Joel Hanrahan and outfielder Lastings Milledge to the Pirates for reliever Sean Burnett and outfielder Nyjer Morgan on Tuesday afternoon.

Morgan is considered the key to the deal for Washington. He was acquired to improve the team’s outfield defense, which is one of the worst in the National League.

The Nationals see Morgan as a center fielder/leadoff hitter. Washington also likes his hockey attitude. He once played with the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League during the 1999-2000 season.

Morgan was playing left field and batting second for Pittsburgh. Entering Tuesday’s action, Morgan is hitting .277 with two home runs, 27 RBIs and 18 stolen bases.

The Nationals also get younger in the bullpen with Burnett on board. He will be a middle reliever for the team. Burnett appeared in 38 games and had a respectable 3.06 ERA for Pittsburgh.

Hanrahan and Milledge did not fit in the team’s long-term plans. Hanrahan lost his job as a closer twice because he was often hit hard. Most people in the organization felt that his fastball was too straight and he relied too much on his slider.

Lack of defense and inconsistency at the plate are the reasons Milledge has been in the Minor Leagues since mid-April. In seven games, Milledge was 4-for-24 with an RBI for the Nationals.

Topics: Baseball, Pittsburgh Pirates | 8 Comments »

Huge Jackman. Steroids or simply diet and exercise?

By Dagger | June 26, 2009

Apparently Hugh Jackman is very upset that a number of people have accused him of taking steroids in order to pack on the muscle needed to pull off his role as Wolverine.  We went ahead and pulled a few clips from around the internet where Jackman and his trainers explain the dedication, diet, and exercise routine required to pull off this “look”.

‘It’s all about evolution,’ says Mike Ryan, personal trainer to Hugh Jackman, star of the new film X-Men Origins: Wolverine.  But Ryan is not talking about the movie and its cast of mutant superheroes – he’s explaining the training plan that Jackman followed to build the rock-hard physique needed to play the blade-fisted Wolverine.

‘From one workout to the next I’ll always have something new to add to the equation,’ Ryan says. ‘Our sessions are based on established principles, but we’ll always try and bring new ideas to the table.  And Hugh now looks the most ripped he’s been for any movie.’

Ryan knows more about Jackman’s training than anyone, having been closely involved with the actor’s physical development for almost 20 years. ‘I was working as a trainer at the [Australian gym] Physical Factory in 1989 when this young guy came to work just handing out the locker keys and towels.  He was getting a hell of a lot of attention from the women in the place, and I thought, “Who does this bloke think he is?”  It turned out to be Hugh and we quickly became friends, and soon he asked me if I’d show him how to train properly, because back then he was very, very skinny.  We used to call him ‘Chicken Legs’.

It was the start of a partnership that saw Ryan flying around the world to keep the increasingly in-demand movie star in shape for films such as Van Helsing and the X-Men series.  Ryan was also drafted in to sculpt the physique of Brandon Routh for the lead role in the latest Superman movie.

‘When we were building Hugh up for the Wolverine movie, we got a call from Baz Luhrmann who was directing Hugh in the movie Australia.  Baz said, “Come on, guys, back it off!  He’s getting too big.”  And you can see Hugh getting bigger in the film.  ‘In Wolverine, Hugh looks big onscreen, but really he’s just ripped.  That’s the secret to looking good.  It’s not just about getting big, it’s about getting ripped.

At age 40, Hugh Jackman has a frame packed with hard muscle mass while being leaner than at any time in his life, thanks to personal trainer Mike Ryan’s workout and eating plan. ‘I call him my masterpiece,’ says Ryan.  ‘He just keeps getting better and better over the years.  We’ve got a bet to see if we can both get to 50 and still have a six-pack.’

Jackman has to fit his training around hectic filming schedules, so he and Ryan are usually in the gym at the crack of dawn.  ‘We have a philosophy of training first thing in the morning,’ says Ryan.  ‘Research suggests that people who train in the afternoons consistently do workouts of far less intensity than those who do train in the morning.  When Hugh has a 6am filming start, that means we’ll be in the gym by 4am.’

A typical Jackman workout takes an hour to 90 minutes, including warm-up and cardio sessions.  ‘We never start a weights session without a minimum ten-minute cardio warm-up. Never, ever,’ says Ryan.  ‘After a session we often finish with 20 minutes of cardio, which could be a run or run/swim.’

Ryan bases the weights workouts on big compound lifts and adds some twists. ‘The fundamental training principles are based on the core body-building moves such as squats, deadlifts, presses – simple moves, but I mix things up. We change the angles on the bench, play with the tempo, weight, time, rest.  The same workout can be done ten different ways by making these small changes.’

Ryan splits the sessions between muscle groups, so one day might target chest and triceps, while another day focuses on back and biceps.  ‘I believe in controlled overload,’ he says. ‘To push the muscles to failure by the last set, we’ll superset compound moves with isolation ones – for example, go from a dumb-bell bench press straight into a fly.  By the last set you need a spotter to help you squeeze out those last couple of reps.’

One look at Jackman’s physique in X-Men Origins: Wolverine proves that Ryan’s training methods work, so give his plan a try. We can’t guarantee superhuman powers, but it will get you ripped and ready for action.

How to do these workouts:
- Warm up first with ten minutes of cardio and light bodyweight movements.
- Do the pairs of exercises as supersets, performing one set of the first exercise, then moving immediately on to a set of the second exercise.
- Rest for the stated time before repeating.
- Choose a weight that you can manage with perfect form, but which leads to muscular failure by the end of the final set.
- Take one second the lift the weight, pause for another second, then take two to three seconds to lower again.

Mike Ryan’s training tips:
- ‘Train in the morning where possible – it’s the best way to ensure intensity.’
- ‘Always warm up sufficiently – not just with cardio, but by doing the movements before adding weights.’
- ‘Work on ‘progressive overload – always keep increasing the weight, and keep a training diary to record your progress.’
- ‘Mix things up – constantly change the tempo, speed, incline, grip – anything so that you’re not always performing the same movement.’
- ‘Feel the movement – focus on each muscle activation rather than simply aiming to finish the set.’
- ‘Work with a trainer – it will help with motivation.’
- ‘Don’t overtrain – learn what your body can cope with.’
- ‘Get plenty of rest – at least seven hours of good sleep a night.’

———————————

Some info from another source:

‘While training for Wolverine we were on six meals a day, minimum – sometimes seven,’ says Mike Ryan the personal trainer responsible for getting Aussie actor Hugh Jackman into shape for the new X-Men Origins: Wolverine movie.

Here you’ll find an example of a typical day’s food for the hard-training action-movie star, but Ryan is keen to stress that it is only a template that can be adapted to any tastes. ‘There’s no point in me saying, “You must eat this, or that.” Everyone has their own likes and dislikes, and as long as you stick to the basic rules you can customise this plan to suit your own needs.’

So what are those rules? ‘Always get your protein from natural, unprocessed sources where possible.  Eat six small meals a day rather than three large ones.  Drink mainly water.  Avoid all processed foods, and that includes anything that says “99 per cent fat-free” or similar.’

The need for good-quality protein either side of a hard workout is also a priority. ‘If you can’t get it from natural sources,’ Ryan says, ‘use a supplement.  We were using protein powder regularly.  I made sure Hugh got plenty of amino acids before training and immediately after, and then he would have a slow-acting protein at night-time, such as cottage cheese.’

So whether you train in the afternoon or evening, adapt the following meal plan to suit your training times.

————————————-

and another source:

….Hugh Jackman is back ripped, bigger and badder than ever for his role as Wolverine in X-Men Origins, Jackman who has recently been crowned as People Magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive” in 2008 demonstrates to us all that working out is a lifestyle.

“I did work out about an hour a day but the real key was the eating.”

Diet: “Hugh Jackman’s diet was six meals a day made up of lots of vegetables and lean proteins. He consumed 1000 calories over his normal intake during training.”

Exercise: For The X-men series Hugh worked with Steve Ramsbottom.  First phase was focused on building mass by changing the speed of each lift, 3 sec count up and then a 1 sec count down or really slow 4 sec count up and 4 count down.  Second phase focused on strength by lifting really heavy weights, without the sec count. Each phase lasted from 6 to 12 weeks, for one to two hours, five days a week. When it was close to shooting time, he lifted weights 1 day and filled the other days with yoga, pilates, running, and stretching. He even did bootcamp training in there too.  For the full workout check out below.

Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine Workout

Day 1

* Dumbbell Chest Press (Swiss ball and dumbbells required)
* Push-ups
* Lat Pull Downs (modular lat pulldown machine required)
* External Shoulder Rotations (tubing required)
* Cable Side Raise (adjustable cable pulley machine required)
* Straight Bar Curl (free-standing bar required)
* Close Grip Bar Push-up (free-standing bar and squat rack required)

Day 2

* Leg Squat
* Balance Board Lunge (extreme or round board is required)
* Split Leg Box Jump (do immediately after balance lunge)
* Jack Knife
* Swiss Ball Crunch (do immediately after jack knife)

Day 3

* Walking Lunges: Hold dumbbells at sides. Step through front heel and bring back knee towards floor. Do 30 steps.
* Push-ups: Do 100.
* Swiss Ball Crunch: Do 50.
* Sprint: Outside or on treadmill, sprint 1 minute at 80 percent intensity.
* Inch Worms : In a push-up position, take tiny steps so the feet come towards the hands. Keep walking until you feel a gentle stretch through the hamstrings. Do this 30 times.
* Lat Pull Downs : Do 50.
* Stairs: Take every second step. Perform 20 reps (up and down is 1).

Topics: Random Musings | 2 Comments »

Same Old Pirates? The longest rebuilding effort in the history of sports

By Dutch | June 25, 2009

oct 2, 1995

THE 1995 PIRATES: LOOKING HARD FOR THE BRIGHT SPOTS LONG SEASON COMES TO CLOSE

“I can’t be extremely negative about what we’ve done this year,” General Manager Cam Bonifay said. “It’s time for this organization to be positive. This organization has to start to be positive, even though our record might not explicitly show that.

“I think we did make some progress this year. Our record wouldn’t indicate that, but we had three or four guys out of the lineup at that one point whom we had projected would help us.”I think we’re better because the pitching is better. The prospect for our young pitchers, with the experience of this season, has gotten better.
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oct 3, 1996

LAMONT THE GUY PLAYERS AGREE WITH PIRATES’ CHOICE FOR LEYLAND’S HEIR APPARENT Date: October 3, 1996 Publication: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (PA) Page Number: B-1 Word Count: 768

Gene Lamont is expected to be named the Pirates’ new manager today.

“Certainly if anybody can replace Jim Leyland as the manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, it would be Gene Lamont,” said shortstop Jay Bell, who could be traded before he gets a chance to play for Lamont. “Gene’s in the same mold as Jim. He’s certainly the best person for the job.”

“We’re getting a proven winner”
—————————————————————————–
Oct 4, 1997

PIRATES HAD LAST LAUGH
Date: October 4, 1997 Publication: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (PA) Page Number: C-3 Word Count: 111

When the baseball season began in April, the Pirates were the laughingstock of the league.

They defied all odds and almost pulled off a miracle. Tony Womack became an All-Star. A star was being born in Jose Guillen. Jason Kendall, Al Martin, Joe Randa and Kevin Young provided the leadership. Rich Loiselle, Kevin Polcovich and Ricardo Rincon were unknown commodities who became household names. Turner Ward and Dale Sveum showed their former teams that they had plenty of baseball left in them.
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SUMMER BUMMER THERE WAS NO MAGIC, ONLY DISAPPOINTMENT, FOR ‘98 PIRATES
Date: October 4, 1998 Publication: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (PA) Page Number: D-3 Word Count: 2364

Among the wreckage of the 1998 Pirates season, one part of the team emerged unscathed.

The pitching continued to improve. The team’s 3.91 earned run average, which ranked sixth in the league, represented a drop of almost two-thirds of a run over the last two years.

“The staff in general is better,” pitching coach Pete Vuckovich said. “They know more about themselves. They know more about how to get hitters out at the major league
—————————————————————————–

Oct 1, 1999

PIRATES CLINCH 3RD WITH 3-2 TRIUMPH
Date: October 1, 1999 Publication: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (PA) Page Number: C-1 Word Count: 1069

The Pirates last night clinched third place in the National League Central Division with a 3-2 victory over Milwaukee achieved on a seventh-inning home run by Kevin Young and scoreless work by four relievers.

“Third place is something we were shooting for,” Manager Gene Lamont said, “but what we’re really doing is trying to get above .500.” —————————————————————————-
SELLOUT CROWD WATCHES PIRATES LOSE LAST GAME AT STADIUM

BYLINE: PAUL MEYER, POST-GAZETTE SPORTS WRITER
DATE: October 6, 2000
PUBLICATION: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (PA)
EDITION: SOONER
SECTION: SPORTS
PAGE: D-2
MEMO: THREE RIVERS STADIUM: THE FINALE

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2000
PUBLICATION: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (PA)
The Pirates said goodbye to a stadium and a manager yesterday. Today, they can begin thinking about next season, their first at PNC Park, and Manager Gene Lamont’s successor.

They can begin pondering the advice Kevin Young, Jason Kendall and Brian Giles gave them the past week. Young, Kendall and Giles met with General Manager Cam Bonifay and offered their thoughts about what should be done to improve this team. We all have something in common — Kevin McClatchy, Cam Bonifay, myself — all of us,” Young said.”Cam has a tough job because he’s strapped financially. There’s a lot more pressure to be a general manager when your payroll’s around $30 million as opposed to $90 million. We totally understand that, but a lot of stuff we went over had to do with what direction we’re going.
———————————————————————

100 DOWN, ONE TO GO
Date: October 7, 2001 Publication: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (PA) Page Number: D-6 Word Count: 796

On the next to the last day of a season that Manager Lloyd McClendon said seemed to begin a century ago, the Pirates reached the century mark in losses. They reached this dubious achievement by having no hits and no runs until the eighth inning as the Chicago Cubs won, 13-2, on a chilly, blustery afternoon.

What’s more, the Pirates fell a game behind Tampa Bay to own the worst record in baseball with one game remaining. “Whether it’s 99 or 100 or 90 or
—————————————————————————

DATE: October 6, 2002
PUBLICATION: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (PA)
EDITION: TWO STAR
SECTION: SPORTS
PAGE: C-3
MEMO: Robert Dvorchak can be reached at bdvorchak@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1959.

The task of improving the Pirates began long before Aramis Ramirez grounded into the final out last Sunday in Wrigley Field. But with the club watching playoff baseball on TV again after a decade of losing, the focus shifts to what’s next…
The Pirates took a step in the right direction in 2002. The Pirates will receive $6 million more in revenue sharing money and will be free of Derek Bell’s $4.5-million contract.I’m a firm believer that you win with quality starting pitching, and I think we have three solid guys there. How much they improve — and they all need to improve for us to get better — we’ll see,” Littlefield said.This is going to be a big off-season for me,” Benson said. “I was able to get back to pitching at the level I wanted to be. I got my sharpness and finish back. I can’t be more pleased.
—————————————————————————

CHANGING COURSE
Date: October 5, 2003 Publication: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (PA) Page Number: C-1 Word Count: 2094

Dave Littlefield’s priorities this winter are to find a closer, a third baseman, a power hitter in the middle of the lineup and pitching, pitching and more pitching. Of course, those are commodities Littlefield, the Pirates’ general manager, traded away during the 2003 season to shore up the franchise’s foundation — its talent pool.

Management gave up on the version of the Pirates that had been constructed the past few years
——————————————————————————
0ct 4th 2004

In what otherwise would have been good riddance to another losing season, Oliver Perez and Jack Wilson — two of the building blocks for the future — made it an upbeat goodbye

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PLUCK OF THE PIRATES
Date: October 4, 2005 Publication: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (PA) Page Number: B-6 Word Count: 307

The Pittsburgh Pirates’ 2005 campaign is history and, although the team notched its 13th straight losing season and tied for the second-worst record in baseball, it finished with some notable bright spots.

* The team won its last two games — and in large part due to some of its newest or youngest players: Zach Duke, Nate McLouth, J.J. Furmaniak and Freddy Sanchez. * The Pirates will soon hire a new manager, one probably with previous experience. The team’s reported
=========================================================================

IT’S TIME PIRATES GET SOME DIRECTION
Date: October 3, 2006 Publication: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (PA) Page Number: D-8 Word Count: 825

Hello again and welcome to America’s slowest-rising game show, “Who’s More Delusional?”

Today’s question: Who’s more delusional, the Pirates’ fan who thinks the team has turned a corner despite losing 95 games again, or the fan who sees no progress in a team whose young pitchers led them to a 37-35 record after the All-Star break? We’ll depart from tradition and have only one contestant, allowing
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PIRATES’ TRACY WALKS THE PLANK
Date: October 6, 2007 Publication: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (PA) Page Number: A-1 Word Count: 1107

With one swift swing, the Pirates, losers for 15 consecutive seasons, yesterday fired manager Jim Tracy and began a top-to-bottom overhaul of their baseball operations.

“We have many challenges ahead, but we are moving forward,” new general manager Neal Huntington said at a PNC Park news conference. “We need to change the culture of this organization, and this is a step in that direction.” Several steps were taken:

Gone were Mr. Tracy,
————————————————————
sept 2008

owner Bob Nutting says, we have the single best management team in baseball and GM Neil Huntington reponds, we aren’t going to increase payroll just to increase payroll.
—————————————————————————————————————–

TWO NEW PRESS RELEASES BELOW!

Feb 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

McLouth’s contract caps Pirates’ internal goal
Center fielder gets 15.75 million, as team retains rights into 2012
The long-term commitments we have made to core players developed here, both this year and last year, reflect our commitment to build a strong core from within our system,” team president Frank Coonelly. The three-year, $15.75 million contract they signed yesterday with center fielder Nate McLouth buoyantly capped management’s goal of securing all three of its identified core players — along with pitcher Paul Maholm and catcher Ryan Doumit
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Pirates trade McLouth to Atlanta
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Pirates have traded center fielder Nate McLouth to the Atlanta Braves.

Topics: Pittsburgh Pirates, Sports | 3 Comments »

Reebok City of Champions Shirt

By admin | June 24, 2009

Pretty cool shirts from Reebok available here:

Topics: Pittsburgh Penguins, Sports, Steelers | 3 Comments »

Big soccer match today: USA vs SPAIN in the Confederations Cup

By admin | June 24, 2009

The winner moves on to the finals.  If the Americans manage to beat Spain (the best team in the world) it will widely be regarded as one of the biggest wins in US soccer history.  The Spaniards haven’t lost in 35 games, so the chances of team USA pulling off the upset are pretty slim.  We really don’t pay much attention to soccer around here (the World Cup is the only time we care) but you may recall that last year we covered the Euro 2008 Cup in our own unique way with the Battle of the Babes Tournament.

The team with the hottest girls in attendance wins.

vs

Team USA gets absolutely demolished.

The only way USA walks away with a win tomorrow afternoon is if they can somehow get a few girls from Teams Germany, Italy, and Portugal to switch allegiances within the next 24 hours.

Topics: Soccer, Sports | No Comments »

2009 City of Champions youtube

By Dagger | June 24, 2009

This has been making the rounds over the past 24 hours.  If you haven’t seen it yet it’s worth the 5 mins it takes to watch it.

Topics: NFL, NHL, Pittsburgh Penguins, Sports, Steelers | 2 Comments »

STEEL CURTAIN RADIO #8: SALARY CAP 101 w/ Ian Whetstone (Replay)

By Lance Williams | June 23, 2009

SHOW LINK: http://media.libsyn.com/media/wtcb/SCR_8.mp3

Show Topics: Interview with Ian Whetstone of Steel City Insider

1. Why the Max Starks Deal is limiting the Steelers
2. How the Steelers can sign James Harrison today?
3. Debunking the Myth of the Frudal Steelers
4. What deals can be restuctured?
5. How much it takes to sign your rookie class?

Remember to Check out SCR#4 :

Max Starks Interview media.libsyn.com/media/wtcb/SCR_4.mp3

Call in line: 206-202-4468

Master Feeds for all the shows on Whatchatalkinbout.com

Topics: NFL, Steelers, podcast | No Comments »

Max Starks signs a 4 year $26.3 million dollar contract

By Dagger | June 23, 2009

per ESPN

The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed left tackle Max Starks to a $26.3 million, four-year contract, according to a source.  Included in the deal is $10 million in guaranteed money, the source said. The Steelers announced the deal Tuesday but did not give financial details. Starks is signed through 2012.  The agreement between the Steelers and Starks ends a two-year stretch in which Starks, a transition player in 2008 and the franchise player in 2009, ate up a lot of Pittsburgh’s cap room.   His agreement is expected to save the Steelers about $3 million in salary-cap space.

Good move by the Steelers here.  People are overly harsh on Max but he’s started and won 2 Super Bowls….at 2 different OL positions as a 3rd Round pick. $10 million guaranteed and less than $7 mil per season for a starting LT isn’t bad at all.  The franchise tag he had going into this season is now off the books and in the end, those of you that hated franchising him, it was only on the books and against the cap for 1 year (last year).  Locking up Starks allows the Steelers to address other team needs over the next few years without having to draft a First Rounder or spend a ton of cash on the Free Agent market in search of a LT.

Topics: Steelers | 3 Comments »

Reporter gets choked out

By admin | June 22, 2009

Topics: MMA | 3 Comments »

Smartmonies 2009 NFL Quarterback Rankings

By Dutch | June 20, 2009

-NFL QUARTERBACK RANKINGS-

21. MATT CASSEL

Did surprisingly well in New England. Got big money from Chiefs. But won’t be able to take Moss with him. The field won’t be wide open with his choice of receivers to throw too. People may question the Chiefs giving big money to this guy. Could turn out to be a fraud.

22. TRENT EDWARDS

Front runner. 116% passer rating when ahead in games, drops to only 70% when tied. Throws better down the middle of the field then he does to the outsides. 119% passer on first down, drops to 57% on 2nd down. This once again shows he a front runner. Needs to play with lead.

23. MARC BULGER

Once proud 8 yards per attempt avg, being beaten down to the sixes by terrible offensive line. has taken too many hits. Time is dwindling in St Louis. Shame.

24. JOE FLACCO

Huge Talent. Very cool in pocket. Could become a problem for rival Steelers. Could take next step in year 2. Should make this rating look very bad.

25. BYRON LEFTWICH

Only a 79% passer for his career. Plays well when he isn’t the guy. He wants to be the guy but doesn’t perform when he is. Should win job in Tampa. Jim Wexell wrote last year that Leftwich will be the next Jim Plunket and go on to win multiple Super Bowls. We doubt that very much.

26. KYLE ORTON
Comes over from Chicago to replace talented Jay Cutler. Orton is not talented. Would like to have a ticket for a game in Denver when he fails to deliver. The boo’s will cascade down from high above Invesco field. Would be a great team to cover as a reporter with hot shot coach making dumb choices.

27. JASON CAMPBELL
Average QB at best. Was overwhelmed by Steeler defense on a Monday night at home 1 year ago. Was never the same after that. Just not good enough. Only averaged 5.9 yards per attempt on 3rd down , 1 year ago. Feels hurt that Skins were rumored to have been looking at Cutler. After Cutler signed with Bears, Skins said Campbell is our guy. yea right.

28. DAUNTE CULPEPPER
This could be Matt Cassel 1 year from now. Look at what happens when you don’t have Moss opening up the field for everyone.

29. SHAUN HILL
Rocky Balboa type of player. Heart. plays with passion. Not talented.

30. JAMARCUS RUSSEL

Sux so far.

Topics: NFL, Steelers | 8 Comments »

NHL Free Agents 2009

By Dagger | June 16, 2009

Centers - 2009 NHL Unrestricted Free Agents
Player	Age	Team	08-09 Salary	Notes
Mats Sundin	38	VAN	$7,000,000
Joe Sakic	39	COL	$6,000,000
Saku Koivu	34	MON	$4,750,000
Mike Comrie	28	OTT	$4,000,000
Sergei Fedorov	39	WAS	$4,000,000
Robert Lang	38	MON	$4,000,000
Mike Cammalleri	27	CGY	$3,600,000
Henrik Sedin	28	VAN	$3,575,000
Tim Connolly	28	BUF	$3,500,000	Re-signed. 2 years, $9 million
Andy McDonald	31	STL	$3,333,333	Re-signed with the Blues. 4 years, $18.8 million.
Steve Sullivan	34	NAS	$3,200,000
John Madden	36	NJ	$2,938,540
Brendan Morrison	33	DAL	$2,750,000
Todd Marchant	35	ANA	$2,660,000
Bobby Holik	38	NJ	$2,500,000
Viktor Kozlov	34	WAS	$2,500,000
Mike Sillinger	38	NYI	$2,300,000
Jason Williams	28	CLB	$2,200,000
Nik Antropov	29	NYR	$2,150,000
Rob Niedermayer	34	ANA	$2,000,000
Steven Reinprecht	33	PHO	$2,000,000
Tyler Arnason	30	COL	$1,750,000
Doug Weight	38	NYI	$1,750,000	Re-signed with the Isles, 1 year.
Derek Armstrong	36	LA	$1,600,000
Radek Bonk	33	NAS	$1,600,000
Manny Malhotra	29	CLB	$1,500,000
Samuel Pahlsson	31	CHI	$1,400,000
Michael Peca	35	CLB	$1,315,000
Steve Begin	31	DAL	$1,300,000
Chris Gratton	33	CLB	$1,250,000
Johan Franzen	29	DET	$1,150,000	Re-signed with the Wings. 11 years, $43 million.
Jeremy Roenick	39	SJ	$1,100,000
Marty Reasoner	32	ATL	$1,000,000
Patrick Rissmiller	30	NYR	$1,000,000
Vernon Fiddler	29	NAS	$900,000
Dean McAmmond	36	NYI	$900,000
Dominic Moore	28	BUF	$900,000
Scott Nichol	33	NAS	$750,000
Eric Perrin	35	ATL	$750,000
Stephane Yelle	27	BOS	$750,000
Scott Nichol	34	NAS	$750,000
Brian Sutherby	27	DAL	$700,000	Re-signed with the Stars. 2 years, $1.6 million.
Michael Zigomanis	28	PIT	$650,000
Blair Betts	29	NYR	$615,000
Jason Krog	33	VAN	$605,000
Boyd Devereaux		TOR	$600,000
Jamie Lundmark	28	CGY	$600,000
Janis Sprukts	27	FLA	$600,000
Mike Glumac		MON	$550,000
Yanick Lehoux		MON	$550,000
Grant Stevenson		ATL	$550,000
Josh Green		ANA	$525,000
Mike Iggulden		NYI	$525,000
Craig Macdonald	32	CLB	$515,000
Eric Boguniecki		ANA	$500,000
Carl Corazzini		EDM	$500,000
Mark Cullen		VAN	$500,000
Carsen Germyn		CGY	$500,000
Matt Hendricks		COL	$500,000
Steve Kelly		CLB	$500,000
Krystofer Kolanos	27	MIN	$500,000
Cory Larose		SJ	$500,000
Bryan Lundbohm		MIN	$500,000
Greg Mauldin		OTT	$500,000
Mike Rupp		NJ	$500,000
Wyatt Smith		PHO	$500,000
Nathan Smith		COL	$500,000
Trent Whitfield		STL	$500,000
Colton Fretter		BUF	$475,000
Alexandre Giroux	28	WAS	$475,000
Ben Guite	30	COL	$475,000
Ryan Murphy		NJ	$475,000
Kris Newbury	27	TOR	$475,000
Michael Ryan	29	CAR	$475,000

Right Wingers - 2009 NHL Unrestricted Free Agents
Player	Age	Team	08-09 Salary	Notes
Marian Gaborik	27	MIN	$7,500,000
Marian Hossa	30	DET	$7,450,000
Martin Havlat	28	CHI	$6,000,000
Bill Guerin	38	PIT	$4,500,000
Alexei Kovalev	36	MON	$4,500,000
Brian Gionta	30	NJ	$4,000,000
Maxim Afinogenov	29	BUF	$3,500,000
Miroslav Satan	34	PIT	$3,500,000
Mike Knuble	36	PHI	$2,800,000
Ales Kotalik	30	EDM	$2,500,000
Petr Sykora	32	PIT	$2,500,000
Todd Bertuzzi	34	CGY	$1,950,000
Mike Grier	34	SJ	$1,775,000
Richard Zednik		FLA	$1,750,000
Radek Dvorak	32	FLA	$1,600,000
Michel Ouellet	27	VAN	$1,300,000
Mark Recchi	39	BOS	$1,250,000
Chris Neil	30	OTT	$1,200,000
Mikael Samuelsson	32	DET	$1,200,000
Ian Laperriere		COL	$1,150,000
Dan Hinote	32	STL	$1,000,000
Tom Kostopoulos	30	MON	$900,000
Chad LaRose		CAR	$875,000
Jed Ortmeyer	30	NAS	$750,000
Jason Ward	30	TB	$700,000
Brian McGrattan	27	PHX	$605,000
Craig Adams	32	CHI	$600,000
Tim Jackman	27	NYI	$600,000	Re-signed with the Isles. 1 year
Brian Willsie	31	COL	$600,000
Darren McCarty	37	DET	$575,000
George Parros	29	ANA	$575,000	Re-signs with Anaheim. 3 years, $2.625 million.
Mike Hoffman	28	ATL	$550,000
Kurtis McLean		NYI	$550,000
Joe Motzko		ATL	$550,000
Colton Orr	27	NYR	$550,000
Andre Roy	34	CGY	$550,000
Landon Wilson	34	DAL	$550,000
Darren Haydar		DET	$525,000
Tomas Kopecky		DET	$525,000
Junior Lessard		ATL	$525,000
Tom Cavanagh	27	SJ	$500,000
Jon Disalvatore		NJ	$500,000
Aaron Downey		DET	$500,000
Scott Parker	31	COL	$500,000
Mark Parrish	32	DAL	$500,000
Joel Ward	28	NAS	$500,000
Jesse Boulerice		COL	$475,000
Derek Nesbitt		PHO	$475,000
Benjamin Ondrus		TOR	$475,000
Ryan Vesce		SJ	$475,000

Left Wingers - 2009 NHL Unrestricted Free Agents
Player	Age	Team	08-09 Salary	Notes
Alex Tanguay	29	MON	$5,375,000
Keith Tkachuk	37	STL	$4,500,000
Jere Lehtinen	36	DAL	$4,100,000
Erik Cole	30	CAR	$4,000,000
Daniel Sedin	28	VAN	$3,575,000
Henrik Zetterberg	28	DET	$2,900,000	Re-signed to a 12 year, $72 million deal.
Kyle Calder	30	LA	$2,700,000
Mark Bell		NYR	$2,500,000
Ruslan Fedotenko	30	PIT	$2,250,000
Per-Johan Axelsson	34	BOS	$1,850,000
Taylor Pyatt	27	VAN	$1,575,000
Gary Roberts	43	TB	$1,250,000	Retired
Donald Brashear	37	WAS	$1,200,000
Ville Peltonen	36	FLA	$1,200,000
Matt Pettinger	28	TBL	$1,100,000
Marcus Nilson		CGY	$1,000,000
Travis Moen	27	SJ	$925,000
Janne Pesonen	27	PIT	$875,000
Stephane Veilleux	27	MIN	$862,500
Brendan Shanahan	40	NJD	$800,000
Mike York	31	CLB	$750,000
Jeff Cowan		VAN	$725,000
Andy Hilbert		NYI	$700,000
Bates Battaglia		TOR	$675,000
Brad Isbister		OTT	$650,000
Per Ledin		COL	$600,000
Brad May	37	TOR	$600,000
Brad Winchester	28	STL	$600,000
Mathieu Darche		BUF	$575,000
David Moss	27	CGY	$575,000
Josh Gratton		PHI	$550,000
Andrew Peters	29	BUF	$550,000
Matt Pettinger		TB	$550,000
Jeff Taffe	28	PIT	$550,000
Alexandre Burrows	28	VAN	$525,000	Re-signed with the Canucks. 4 years, $8 million.
David Koci	28	TB	$525,000
Tyler Bouck		BUF	$500,000
Ryan Flinn		MON	$500,000
Mitchell Fritz	28	NYI	$500,000
Trevor Gillies		CAR	$500,000
David Gove		PIT	$500,000
Jeff Hoggan		PHO	$500,000
Jason Jaffray	28	VAN	$500,000
Connor James		PIT	$500,000
Boyd Kane	31	PHI	$500,000
Quintin Laing		WAS	$500,000
Chris Minard	27	PIT	$500,000
Graham Mink	30	WAS	$500,000
Matt Murley		CAR	$500,000
Steve Regier		STL	$500,000
Jeremy Reich		BOS	$500,000
Ryan Bayda	28	CAR	$475,000
Wade Brookbank	31	TB	$475,000
Chris Durno	28	COL	$475,000
Matt Ellis	27	BUF	$475,000
Dan Lacouture	32	CAR	$475,000
Charles Linglet		STL	$475,000
Colin Murphy		BUF	$475,000
Garth Murray		PHO	$475,000
Warren Peters		CGY	$475,000
Chad Wiseman		NJ	$475,000

Defense - 2009 NHL Unrestricted Free Agents
Player	Age	Team	08-09 Salary	Notes
Scott Niedermayer	35	ANA	$6,750,000
Mathieu Schneider	40	MON	$5,750,000
Sergei Zubov	38	DAL	$5,350,000
Rob Blake	39	SJ	$5,000,000
Jay Bouwmeester	25	FLA	$4,875,000
Adrian Aucoin	35	CGY	$4,000,000
Derek Morris	30	PHO	$3,950,000
Derian Hatcher	37	PHI	$3,500,000
Mattias Ohlund	32	VAN	$3,500,000
Christian Backman	29	CLB	$3,400,000
Jaroslav Spacek	35	BUF	$3,300,000
Filip Kuba	32	OTT	$3,000,000
Nick Boynton	30	FLA	$2,950,000
Niclas Havelid	36	ATL	$2,900,000
Greg de Vries	36	NAS	$2,750,000
Philippe Boucher	36	PIT	$2,500,000
Kyle McLaren		SJ	$2,500,000
Darryl Sydor	37	DAL	$2,500,000
Rhett Warrener	33	CGY	$2,500,000
Karlis Skrastins	34	FLA	$2,400,000
Denis Gauthier	32	LA	$2,200,000
Hal Gill	34	PIT	$2,100,000