James Harrison to attend off-season workouts

Steelers LB James Harrison is having difficulty getting a new deal with the Steelers. The 2008 NFL Defensive Player of the Year is due to make a measly 1.4 million dollars (base salary) in 2009. He is largely underpaid and nobody disputes that.

The problem: In May, James Harrison will be 31 years old. Many could argue that he is simply a product of Dick LeBeau's 3-4 system and may fail in a different environment. Given that Harrison is on the wrong side of 30, I do not think a blockbuster deal is in the future. The two sides are said to be pretty far apart.

When Harrison's agent was asked if James would be attending the "voluntary" off season workouts, he replied, "Yep, James will be there."

Harrison seems to be handling the situation with class right now, but I wonder if his mindset will change as training camp nears.

I could see Harrison holding out for a new deal if a deal cannot be reached.

On the other side, it may be in Harrison's best interest to not be greedy and accept what the Steelers are offering. If he holds out the 2009 season, he will be a 32 year old free agent LB next year. How many teams are going to break the bank for that?

Pirates curious about Pedro Martinez

Free agent pitcher, Pedro Martinez is still looking for a place to call home. A few teams are said to be "curious" about his services.

The problem seems to be that Martinez is looking for a 1 year, 5-8 million dollar deal.

Advice to the Pirates: Aggressively pursue Pedro. Though Pedro is up in age and significantly less effective than in his hay-day, he will put butts in seats. With the roller-coaster seasons we have experienced from guys like Zach Duke, Tom Gorzelanny, and Ian Snell, Pedro could potentially be a nice change up.

Pedro will sell tickets and hopefully be a good mentor for our young pitching staff. Offer him a low base salary, incentive laden contract that could potentially pay him 5-8 million....and if he achieves his contract ceiling, then he was well worth the signing. Seems simple to me.

Pirates Pitcher, Craig Hansen, gets "mmm Bopped" by the Yankees

Though the Pirates lost to the Yankees 13-10 today in Grapefruit League action, the Pirates are able to take away several positives. First, and foremost, Ross Ohlendorf pitched 4 "perfect" innings against his former power-packed club. Ohlendorf is fighting for one of the 5 rotation spots and today's performance alone may be enought for him to lock up a spot.

A few other takeaways from today's game:

Jose Tabata is continuing to hit the crap out of major league pitching. Tabata went 2 for 3 with a run scored...improving his Grapefruit League batting average to .429.

Pedro Alvarez went 2 for 2 with a run scored and a RBI. Alvrez roped a pair of doubles. His batting average is currently .438....the team leader.

Alverez sis proving that he is already a mature hitter coming out of college. Look for his journey in the minor leagues to be short-lived.

On a sour note, Pirates pitcher, Craig Hansen was "mmm bopped" by the Yankees lineup as he allowed 5 ER in only 1/3 of an inning.

Buccos beat world champion Phillies

The Pirates beat the Phillies 6-5 today in Grapefruit League play. Zach Duke led the way with 3.2 scoreless innings pitched. The Pirates would have won easily if pitcher Daniel McCutchen would not have been roughed up in the tune of 5 runs in only 1.1 innings pitched.

Steve Pearce and Jeff Salazar led the way offensively. Pearce was 3 for 4 with a run scored and Jeff Salazar hit a 3 run homer.

Ryan Howard hit is 5th home run of the spring for Philadelphia.

Monroe powers Pirates past Twins

Pirates outfielder Craig Monroe reminded the Minnesota Twins what they let go in the 6-4 Pirates victory today. Monroe belted 3 home runs, giving him 6 for spring training, to beat the Twins.

Today's win gives the Pirates the second best record in the National League at 9-4. Only 2 teams in all of baseball have more wins than Pittsburgh...The Braves and Angels both have 10 wins.

I know its only spring training...but I got a feeling...The Bucco Stops Here!

Free agent CB Chris Carr visiting Steelers today

The Steelers are meeting with 25 year old CB/KR Chris Carr today to discuss a future in Pittsburgh. Carr was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2005 before joining the Titans last season.

Carr said that he will go where he has the greatest opportunity to play. Given that the Steelers just lost Bryant McFadden via free agency, they have a void to fill at CB. Currently, William Gay is the Steelers only option at #2 CB. Deshea Townsend is still around, but at 35 he cannot realistically be asked to play every down.

Aside from CB, Carr is an excellend kick returner. The Steelers do not have a kick returner and need to upgrade their yards per return average. Carr's return average was 4th best in the NFL last season 28.1 yards per return.

The Netherlands???

The Netherlands have shocked the world by beating the Dominican Rebublic for the second time to advance to the second round of the World Baseball Classic.

The Dominican team features MLB star such as Jose Reyes, Willie Taveras, Moises Alou, Hanley Ramirez, David Ortiz, Miguel Tejada, Jose Guillen, Robinson Cano, Miguel Olivo, Willie Aybar, Pedro Martinez, Damaso Marte, Jose Bautista, and Carlos Marmol.

The Netherlands feature guys like former Pirates Randall Simon, Yurendell de Caster, and....well actually I do not recognize any of the other names. I know Sidney Ponson is pitching for them, but I he didn't take the mound in last night's victory of the DR.

Why is this relevant to the black and gold? Well, the Netherlands played the Pirates spring training team before traveling to the WBC...and the Pirates were victorious.

Coincidence? I think not. The Bucco stops here....17 consecutive losing seasons are not in the plans.

Joey Galloway...potential Steeler?

Joey Galloway met with the Pittsburgh Steelers yesterday as the team is searching for a bona fide 3rd receiver. Galloway is a very capable 1 yr stop gap.

The Steelers have a young, talented receiver in Limas Sweed, but many football people claim it takes 3 years to fully develop into a capable receiver in the NFL. Obviously there are exceptions to the rule, but many receivers fall into that category.

Galloway is 37 years old and may have a solid season left in him. Galloway had a down season last year as he missed half of the season due to injury.

That said, he had 3 consecutive 1,000 yard receiving seasons in 2005, 2006, and 2007.

If he is willing to play for the veteran minimum, he would be a fantastic free agent signing for the Steelers.

Pirates lose slug fest with Red Sox

The Pirates were down 8-0 at one point in this spring training game and battled back to lose 15-14 in the 10th inning.

A few interesting notes of the game:

Tom Gorzelanny was rocked. He allowed 5 runs (2 home runs) in 2 innings of work. Gorzo is picking up right where he left off last season.

The Pirates top prospects really shined for the team today.
Jose Tabata was 3 for 3 with a run scored and 4 RBI (2 doubles)
Andrew McCutchen was 1 for 1 with 3 runs scored and a RBI (1 triple)
Neil Walker was 2 for 3 with a run scored and a RBI (1 double)

Combined, the Pirates top prospects were 6 for 7 with 3 doubles, a triple, 5 runs scored, and 6 RBI.

I'm all about a youth movement in Pittsburgh. If we are going to lose in the regular season, I'd prefer we lose with our talented young prospects and let them gain valuable experience. Maybe Tabata is a little young, but I think its time to pull the trigger on McCutchen and Walker. If these guys played for other systems, there is a good chance they could be preparing to make their major league debuts. By the time our guys become big league ball players, we can no longer afford their contracts.

Still no interest in Leftwich???

I am simply shocked that nobody has shown any interest in free agent QB Byron Leftwich. I have been hoping and praying that the Steelers can sign Leftwich to a 2 or 3 year deal to be Ben's permanent backup. Leftwich can win football games in this league and that is a quality you look for in a backup. Leftwich is not a liability when he has to sling the football 30 times in a game either.

I can't believe that other teams swallowed up guys like Dan Orlovsky, JT O'Sullivan, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Chris Simms, etc. Those guys aren't half the QB that Leftwich is and they have zero shot at winning football games for their team. Hopefully the market is diminishing and the Steelers can re-sign him at a fair price. If he has to be a backup somewhere...what better place than Pittsburgh?

Pirates improve to 8-3 in Grapefruit League

The Pirates just keep on rolling. Their 11-4 victory over the Houston Astros improved their spring training record to 8-3 and puts them only a game behind the Atlanta Braves for the National League's best spring training record.

In fact, only 1 team in all of baseball has more wins than the Pirates. The L.A. Angels have 9 wins, one more victory than the Pirates.

Bryant McFadden is a Cardinal...

After only 4 teams (Steelers, Cardinals, Dolphins, and Eagles) showing interest in CB Bryant McFadden, he decided to take the offer from Arizona. McFadden accepted a 2 year, 10 million dollar contract with 5 million guaranteed in the first year.

The contract he signed ended up being a lot less than he initially expected when he entered free agency. It's a shame he won't be wearing black and gold next year. I believe McFadden has pro bowl potential and Arizona got a real bargain at 5 mil per year for a CB with his talent.

McFadden’s total of $5 million in guaranteed money to be paid out in 2009 includes a base salary of $3.75 million, a $1 million roster bonus and a $250,000 workout bonus. McFadden is scheduled to be paid a $5 million base salary in 2010, but that figure isn’t guaranteed.

Steelers lead NFL with items sold on eBay

A recent study was conducted to see which NFL team had the most items for sale on eBay. The results aren't shocking as the top 5 sellers are some of the NFL's most storied franchies. Here are the results: (current team-related items for sale)

1. Pittsburgh Steelers - 16,657


2. Dallas Cowboys - 10,987


3. New York Giants - 7,633


4. Green Bay Packers - 7,445


5. Chicago Bears - 7,057

Though these are the NFL's most storied franchises, we know who the "best" franchise in all of professional sports is...The Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Pirates are human afterall

the Pittsburgh Pirates have been playing their spring training games with the tenacity of a championship caliber team. (If you follow my blog, you know that I am making a big deal out of the Pirates ability to win their spring training games. I know it has absolutely nothing to do with the regular season, but it sure is a hell of a lot of fun to enjoy the Pirates winning any kind of game. I'd cheer if the Pirates beat the living hell out of a t-ball team.)

Anyways, the Pirates lost their 2nd game of spring training making them 6-2 thus far. The Reds downed the Buccos 10-6. Not much else to talk about....

Except....

Our savior, Pedro Alvarez, was 1 for 1 again today.......improving his spring training batting average to a measley .500.

The 6'3", 235 lb Alvarez is already showing that he can hit major league caliber pitching. People in the organization say the ball just sounds different coming off his bat. He has even been compared to Pirate great Willie Stargell!

I look for Alvarez to shred minor league pitching this year and blow right through the minors on his way to the bigs....

St. Petersburg Times story got the Schuyler story wrong?

Supposedly, the St. Petersburg Times story that surfaced yesterday claiming that two of the guys in the boating accident removed their life jackets to float away to sea and the other (Will Bleakley) removed his jacket to swim to the light are inaccurate.

The story that Schuyler told Bleakley's father is that Schuyler hung on to Bleakley for 36 hours until he lost consciousness and died. He did not remove his jacket to swim to lights that the St. Petersburg Times reported.

If you are going to make a mistake, this isn't the story to do it with. Wow.

James Harrison's agent says, "We're struggling with this."

Bill Parise, the agent for Steelers LB James Harrison, said that there have been 3 proposals on the table and they are still pretty far apart. To me, it sounds like the salary cap strapped Steelers are submitting lowball offers.

"We're just not doing well," Parise said. "This is not going as well as it should or it could. Both sides are being challenged to get this accomplished.

"We clearly want to be here and stay here. James has a home here and family an hour-and-a-half away. I'm here, we love this and this is our goal. And our request is by no means a reach.

"We're not anywhere near Haynesworth numbers. We're nowhere near Ben's numbers. We're not asking for him to be the highest-paid Steelers player."

Doesn't sound real promising..but stay tuned.

The Final Moments: Nick Schuyler's Story...

Reports came out today that were rather shocking regarding the boating accident containing 2 NFL players (Marquis Cooper and Corey Smith) and 2 former college footaball players (Nick Schuyler and Will Bleakley) that I have been following.

The lone surviver that was rescued at sea was Nick Schuyler. Schuyler said that after the boat capsized, his friend, Will Bleakley, swam underneath the boat to retrieve the life jackets. Bleakley was a good swimmer and decided he was the one that could go under and find the jackets. Bleakley only found 3 life jackets and he brought a seat cushion back to the surface with him.

Given that Bleakley was a good swimmer, he gave the life jackets to the other three and kept the cushion for himself. Meanwhile, the 4 men started trying to formulate a plan. Supposedly, this was late afternoon on Saturday.

Approximately 4 hours later, one of the NFL players simply could not stand the situation any longer. Deciding to give up hope, he removed his life jacket and floated away to sea to die.

Only a few hours later, the remaining NFL player decided to follow suit and do the same thing. He too removed his life jacket, said goodbye, and floated away to sea to die.

Later that night, Will Bleakley thought that he could see lights off in the distance. Because of his good swimming abilities, he decided he was going remove his life jacket to try to swim to the lights. Schuyler said he believes that Bleakley was delusional to think he could swim that far.

Bleakley didn't make it.

Schuyler stayed with the boat for 46 hours before he was rescued. Had the other 3 men just stayed with the boat, they would have been rescued as well. They would still be alive today.

Say it ain't so...

Well, the battling buccos have done it again. Andy LaRoche's 2 run homer in the 5th inning gave the Pirates the only runs they would need. The Pirates beat the Twins 2-1 this afternoon to improve their spring training record to 6-1.

Their 6 wins are the most in all of baseball.

The Pirates will be consistent pitching away from being a competitive team. If all of their talented pitchers pitch well in the same season, the bucco could stop here.

Pirates having a hard time losing!

The Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Netherlands World Baseball Classic team today 5-4. The Pirates are on the kind of roll that could begin bringing fans back...okay, maybe not quite yet, but wishful thinking nonetheless.

The Netherlands team has a few bucco ties. Bert Blyleven, former Pirate pitcher, is the manager of the Netherlands team. Former Pirate, Randall Simon, is also on the roster.

Sidney Ponson was the starting pitcher for the Netherlands.

Remember where you heard it first. The "bucco" stops here.

R.I.P Marquis Cooper, Corey Smith, & Will Bleakley

At 6:30 PM today, the U.S. Coast Guard called off the search for the missing men resulting from their boating accident. The Coast Guard feels certain that if any of the men were still floating above the water, they would have found them as they exhausted their search in the radius that the men could have been floating.

This is a sad story in general and a tragic story for the NFL. My condolences to the families and friends of these individuals.

Coast Guard not hopeful of finding NFL players

The three remaining men lost at sea after their fishing boat was capsized Saturday afternoon still have not been found. Though the families of the individuals still have not given up hope, the same doesn't seem to be true with the Coast Guard.

Bruce Cooper, the father of Raiders LB Marquis Cooper, said that the Coast Guard talked to the families privately and said that they weren't optimistic because of the timeframe and possibility of hypothermia.

It seems apparent that we are nearing a very tragic ending to this unfortunate event.

Nobody interested in Leftwich?

Most people, Byron Leftwich included, expected him to attract some attention on the first weekend of free agency from teams in need of a starting QB. It seemed obvious that teams like the Lions, Bucs, and Jets would be interested in talking to him.

That said, not one team has shown any interest in the former 1st round pick. Leftwich played extremely well when he had to last season in Pittsburgh.

Selfishly speaking, I hope that Leftwich's bad fortune becomes the Steelers gain and they can lock him up with a long-term contract to be Ben Roethlisberger's backup.

We know that Ben takes a lot of hits with is style of play. Couple his style of play with a completely re-signed offensive line that has difficulty blocking and we have an immediate need for a capable backup QB. Leftwich is that guy and I would love to see a 3 yr, 4-5 million dollar deal to keep him in Pittsburgh.

Steelers 2009 Opponents

Based on the results from last season, the Steelers 2009 schedule does not look terribly difficult. However, teams can change so much from year to year (except in Cincinnati and Cleveland) and it can be difficult to gauge the level of difficulty the schedule will present.

Home: Ravens, Browns, Bengals, Raiders, Chargers, Packers, Vikings, and Titans

Away: Ravens, Browns, Bengals, Broncos, Chiefs, Bears, Lions, and Dolphins

It's comforting to look at the 09' schedule and not see teams like the Colts, Patriots, Eagles, and Cowboys. (I much prefer Bears, Lions, and Raiders)

Marquis Cooper, Corey Smith, and Will Bleakley still missing...

It was a bittersweet day for Nick Schuyler and his family as he was rescued this afternoon after spending several days stranded in the ocean. The picture to the left is footage of the Coast Guard rescuing Schuyler, who is sitting on the bottom of the capsized boat.

At this time, it would be an absolute miracle if any of the other guys are found alive. Schuyler said the accident happened some time Saturday afternoon. Based on that thought, they would have been floating around for 50 or more hours as of now (11:30 Est.) I'm sure everybody's thoughts and prayers are with these men and their friends, families, and teammates.

Hmmm... I wonder who's in first place in the National League???

If you guessed the Pittsburgh Pirates, you are correct! The Pirates beat the Reds today and improved their record to 5-1 and are currently sporting the best spring training record in the National League.

As you know, I could care less if its spring training or not. The Pirates and 1st place are never in the same sentence together and I just want to take this time to sponge as much of a winning feeling out of it as possible.

It's Official: Nate Washington is a Titan...

Nate Washington signed with the Tennessee Titans this evening. Terms of the deal have not yet been released. It's a bittersweet moment for Steeler fans.

On one hand, it's really difficult to lose a highly productive 3rd receiver. However, the Steelers drafted Limas Sweed in the 2nd round a year ago and are expecting him to take over Washington's role and hopefully mold into a #1 or #2 receiver. You cannot help but to be happy for Washington as he has been a class act and a hard worker during his time in Pittsburgh.

The Titans are in need of a young, fast playmaking WR...and Nate Washington may be just that.

Cooper not found???

A Tampa news station has withdrawn their report that Marquis Cooper has been found. There are not any details yet, but the U.S. Coast Guard is currently debriefing Nick Schulyer at the Tampa Bay General Hospital.

1 boater found alive...and possibly Cooper?

Nick Schulyer, 1 of the 4 boaters aboard the 21 foot fishing vessel that went missing off the coast of Clearwater, FL. has been found alive by the coast guard. The boat was anchored when strong winds capsized the vessel. Schulyer was fishing with another man and two NFL football players: Former Steeler Marquis Cooper and Detroit Lions DE Corey Smith.

Recent reports are stating that a family member of Marquis Cooper said that he was found alive as well. Those reports are yet to be confirmed, but it would certainly be a miracle.

There is no word on the other two men. Schulyer said that they were all wearing life preservers, but he last say his friends at 2:00 AM the evening of the accident.

Schulyer is in serious condition at the Tampa Bay General Hospital, but is expected to be okay.

Hopefully there will be more good news to follow.

Pirates continue spring success

The Pittsburgh Pirates are continuing their spring success by beating the Detroit Tigers yesterday. Nate McLouth aided the victory with a towering 3 run home run.

Pedro Alvarez is continuing to prove that he can hit major league quality pitching as he went 1 for 1 as a pinch hitter. He's hitting .429 after 6 spring games.

Just building momentum as the Pirates prepare to make their run towards greatness...and by greatness, I mean a record over .500.

Pirates played long ball with the Astros

Don't look now, but the Pittsburgh Pirates are currently in a two-way tie for second place in the Grapefruit League. (It's Ok...Go ahead and laugh)

After so many years of losing seasons, I'll take a 3-2 record after 5 games of spring training. In their most recent win over the Astros, four Pirates hit home runs to seal the victory. (Moss, Monroe, Diaz, and Salazar)

Former Steeler Marquis Cooper missing!

The U.S. Coast Guard reported that a 21-foot fishing boat was missing in the Gulf Coast near Clearwater Pass, Florida. The boat was reportedly carrying 4 passengers, including Cooper, Detroit Lion Corey Smith and 2 others. The four men left Clearwater Pass on February 28 at 6:30 a.m. and were expected to return later that night. The Coast Guard began searching for the missing boat shortly after midnight on March 1, 2009. As of 12:42 p.m. local time on March 1, 2009 the boat had not been located. Cooper is allegedly on the boat with Detroit Lions player Corey Smith a man named "Nick Skyler" and a fellow Raiders teammate.

The 27 year old Cooper was drafted in the 3rd round (79th overall) by Tampa Bay. He went on to have 3 stints with th Pittsburgh Steelers and is currently a member of the Oakland Raiders.

Nate Washington visiting the Titans today

As much as I hate to see Nate Washington leave Pittsburgh, I would like to see him have the opportunity to be successful. At times last season, Nate Washington was the Steelers best deep threat. However, at other times, Washington displayed similar catching abilities as CB Ike Taylor. (See Picture Left)

It took a few years for the speedy, yet raw WR out of Tiffin to develop into a quality NFL receiver, but Washington did just that. Unfortunately for Washington, the Steelers drafted Limas Sweed in the 2nd round last year and Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes are still ahead on the depth chart. Couple those factors with the fact that Nate is looking to get paid and you have a free ticket out of Pittsburgh.

Washington is reportedly looking for 7-8 million in guaranteed money and a minimum of a 3 year deal. There are 5 or 6 teams that are seriously interested in his services and the Titans may be looking for a weapon for Kerry Collins....especially after losing WR Brandon Jones to the 49ers.