THE PITTSBURGH Sports CHATTER

[POJO_Risin]

Didn't realize Billups is his cousin...

and lmfao...

Bush and Gore for San Fran...

that would be a fucking hilarious marketing strategy...

[ALinChainz]

Bush and Gore ... unreal ... lmao ...

They'd be crazy to pass him up, SF that is.

Even with Gore.

[POJO_Risin]

Fuck Gore...San Fran needs him just for the PR piece...

[ALinChainz]

And you know if they can draft Bush, and can get out of Barlow's ridiculous contract ...

[Va Beach VH Fan]

Making preps for the PA roadtrip for the holidays...

See ya on Tuesday night at center ice for Leafs/Pens (don't ask how much those tix cost )..... We'll be behind the penalty boxes....

Gonna make a half-day out of it... We'll head to the new Western PA Sports Museum first (heard lots of good things about that), then take the "subway" over to Station Square, grab some chow at the Hard Rock, then back over to the Igloo...

I was thinking about heading to Primanti Brothers for one of their great sandwiches, but I'll pass this time....

[Va Beach VH Fan]

I those lousy politicians don't award the slots license to this group, they're even more crooked than I thought....

Not only completely funding an arena without a penny of taxpayer money, but a BILLION dollar economic development plan in the Hill District....

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05356/626343.stm

Penguins name Isle of Capri as casino partner for new arena
Gambling firm betting connection will win it a license
Thursday, December 22, 2005

By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Isle of Capri Casinos Inc., a major player in the gambling industry, is the power behind a $1 billion plus plan to to redevelop the lower Hill District and secure the Penguins' future in Pittsburgh.

The Penguins are banking that the proposal -- in which Isle of Capri also promises to build an arena -- will carry the day with state regulators and enable Isle of Capri to capture the license for a Pittsburgh slots casino.

"When you look at the merits of what we've spoken about today," Penguins President Ken Sawyer said yesterday, "it's pretty hard to think why not? Great site. Great opportunity to keep the team here, get a brand new arena at no cost."

Isle of Capri, with 15 casinos in 13 locations in the United States, Europe and the Bahamas, will be teaming with the Penguins, Nationwide Realty Investors of Columbus, Ohio, and a community coalition led by the Rev. James Simms, a former Allegheny County Council president, in an ambitious plan to remake the lower Hill District with at least $400 million in new office, retail and residential development.

The gambling operator would supply $290 million for construction of an 18,000-seat arena for hockey, concerts and other events. It also expects to commit at least another $1 million a year in slots revenues for community givebacks, said Tim Hinkley, Isle of Capri president and chief operating officer.

The Penguins will take no profits from the casino or have any equity role in its ownership. The team would, however, operate and keep the revenue from the new arena, in an arrangement similar to one the Pirates and Steelers have at PNC Park and Heinz Field. Like the stadiums, the arena would be owned by the city-Allegheny County Sports & Exhibition Authority.

"It was our decision to make sure the maximum can be provided for a new arena," Mr. Sawyer said. "We just want a place to play."

The entire effort, of course, is contingent on Isle of Capri winning the state license to operate the Pittsburgh casino in a competition that may be the most heated for any venue in Pennsylvania.

Even as public officials scramble to find ways to fund a new arena and keep the Penguins, with or without gambling revenue, Mr. Sawyer said there is a "risk" that the team could leave town if it and its partners do not get the slots license.

The Penguins' lease at Mellon Arena expires June 30, 2007, but Mario Lemieux and his ownership group can start shopping the team this summer. Mr. Sawyer said there is a possibility that could happen even with a slots application pending before the state Gaming Control Board, which could take up to a year to award the license after Wednesday's application deadline.

"We have to make sure we know where we are a year from now. It's been very, very difficult for us to operate the last several years in the old arena," Mr. Sawyer said.

The Penguins and Isle of Capri are expected to be one of at least five competitors for the Pittsburgh slots license.

Others include Station Square owner Forest City Enterprises, which is expected to team with gambling power Harrah's Entertainment; Alco Parking Corp. President Merrill Stabile; MTR Gaming, owner of Mountaineer Race Track and Gaming Resort in West Virginia; and Beaver County developer Charles Betters.

Mr. Stabile had little comment on the plan, saying he wanted to see more details. But John Brabender, an MTR spokesman, said he saw advantages to MTR's plan to build a casino on the North Shore while directing about $6 million year to funding an arena. The casino, he said, would be in a separate location from "where you're going to have 'Sesame Street on Ice.' It gives the community the best of both worlds."

Publicly traded Isle of Capri has 11,000 employees and generates about $1.1 billion in gambling revenues annually. It is not as big as Harrah's or MGM Mirage but "definitely has evolved into one of the major players in the gaming industry," said Joseph Weinert, vice president of Spectrum Gaming Group, an industry consultant.

In addition to Pittsburgh, the company had been investigating sites in the Lehigh Valley in Eastern Pennsylvania for a possible casino.

The Pittsburgh casino, which would reflect Isle of Capri's trademark Caribbean theme, and the new Penguins home would be built on a 50-acre site that now includes Mellon Arena. The two venues probably would be built side by side and would cost $600 million to $700 million combined.

About 28 acres of land now occupied by the arena would be opened for redevelopment, to be spearheaded by Nationwide Realty. The company developed Nationwide Arena in Columbus and a surrounding arena district filled with bars, clubs, housing and a movie theater.

It also has been involved in The Waterfront shopping and residential complex in Homestead and as an investor in the ongoing redevelopment of the North Shore between the stadiums.

The Penguins and Isle of Capri plan to form a nonprofit coalition called Pittsburgh First to redevelop the arena site into residential, office and retail space. A goal is to reconnect the Hill District with Downtown, one of the reasons Mr. Simms, a member of Pittsburgh's state-appointed oversight board, decided to support the proposal.

The proposal also has the backing of the Greater Pennsylvania Regional Council of Carpenters. State Sen. Jim Ferlo, D-Highland Park, also gave it an initial endorsement, calling it an "economic development no-brainer."

County Chief Executive Dan Onorato could not be reached for comment.

In a statement, Mayor-elect Bob O'Connor said the effort to build a new arena "is off to a good start. I'm looking forward to working with Dan Onorato and the Penguins to secure a new arena for Pittsburgh and the region."

Isle of Capri already has begun filing information related to its application to the Gaming Control Board. If awarded the license, it expects to begin construction of the casino in early 2007. It also may open a temporary casino site above the existing arena.

Earlier yesterday, in another arena-related development, the Penguins received an the option to renew their lease for one year to June 2008 under an amendment approved by the sports authority board.

Authority Executive Director Mary Conturo said the one-year option gives public officials and the Penguins some breathing room to find a way to finance a new arena.

[Va Beach VH Fan]

Another one....

[POJO_Risin]

That's going to be hard to beat...that proposal...

considering what it can do for the city...

a lot of folk wonder what a stadium can do for a city...

Well...it can spur on redevelopment...

I know Cleveland isn't the same place it was 20 years ago...

and a major piece of that was the Gateway project...

[POJO_Risin]

On a football note...I was thinking last night...

damn...I wish the Cleveland/Pittsburgh games would have the same fury they used to...

then remembered what Cleveland COULD do if they beat Pittsburgh today...

and Cleveland is playing better...much better...

I think Pittsburgh's D will have some interesting stuff for Mr. Frye though...

and if they stop Droughns..game over...

[POJO_Risin]

Steelers Browns...

should be fun today...

[POJO_Risin]

9-5 record means Steelers face hard road
Saturday, December 24, 2005

By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

There were no tiebreakers last Christmas, no playoff scenarios, no conjecture about which city the Steelers would visit to open the playoffs.

The Steelers would not open the playoffs the first week because they earned a bye, and they would travel nowhere but possibly Jacksonville for the Super Bowl because they would play all their playoff games in Heinz Field.

That's what goes with a 15-1 record. Here's what goes with a record that is 9-5:

Today, the Steelers play in Cleveland (5-9) with no bye to look forward to, no home playoff game and perhaps no playoffs at all. They must beat the Browns today and the Detroit Lions at home Jan. 1, and hope for a little help, for either San Diego to lose at least one or Jacksonville to win two.

It makes for a more interesting last two games for the Steelers and their fans, and while the players would prefer the 2005 state of affairs, it still did not provide them a path to the Super Bowl. Indeed, they would have lost their first playoff game to the Jets had their kicker not missed two field goals from 47 and 43 yards near the end of regulation.

Perhaps wrapping things up early, resting starters in the finale and having the first week off worked against them.

"We were so far ahead of everybody, we knew it was a lock," linebacker Larry Foote said. "I think our minds just relaxed a little bit, and that's what got us.

THE GAME
Who: Steelers (9-5) vs. Browns (5-9).
When: 1 p.m. today.
TV/radio: KDKA, WDVE-FM, WBGG-AM.
Where: Cleveland Browns Stadium.
What's at stake: Steelers need to win to maintain their playoff push.

Ergo, scratching for a playoff berth and then having to dig right in on the road if they do could energize the Steelers' bid this time.

"If anything, it's made us work harder at this point," fullback Dan Kreider said. "I think maybe last year we were coasting a little bit, things went our way."

Any thoughts of coasting this season ended in Baltimore Nov. 20 when the Ravens upset the Steelers in overtime, the start of a three-game losing streak that left them on the brink of missing the playoffs.

"At that point, we realized we might be on the outside looking in," Kreider said. "We said we have to get back to how we play football, and we're playing smart football, playing physical and running the ball.

"Coach [Bill] Cowher had us grade ourselves, and that put a sense of urgency in this team. I think guys started to realize how we were playing and realize it's going to take every guy on every play to get us into the playoffs."

If the Steelers beat the Browns and Lions, and the Chargers (9-5) go 2-0, the Steelers will make the playoffs provided Jacksonville (10-4) also wins two. If those three tie, the Steelers stay home. Of course, the Steelers can earn it with a better record if they go 2-0 and the Chargers lose a game.

No one here had to work the math last season.

"It's a lot different feeling this year," safety Troy Polamalu said. "But it's a feeling more from the outside. Inside looking out, we've always taken it one game at a time."

The Steelers may have blown their opportunity already because no wild-card team ever won three playoff games on the road and won a Super Bowl. The 1985 New England Patriots won three playoff games on the road, but were creamed by the Chicago Bears in the Super Bowl. And the 2000 Baltimore Ravens were a wild-card team that won three playoff games and the Super Bowl, but played their first postseason game at home under a different system than is now used.

"We know we let a few slip by us, but what can we do about our situation but just play one game at a time, like we did 15 games last year?" Polamalu said.

The Steelers are Winter's Team; no one has more wins in December and January in the regular season since 2000. They are 21-6. They also have won 10 of their past 11 games against the Browns.

"Our dreams and our goals haven't wavered," Foote said. "We still think we can win the Super Bowl. Everybody has us under their umbrella right now; I like that approach.

"Hey, if it can be done, this team has the talent and the mind-set to do it. But we have to beat Cleveland or all our dreams and goals will be out the window."

[POJO_Risin]

Speaking of Mr. Willie Parker...

Having a grand time


History Making

Willie Parker has a chance today to become the sixth Steelers running back in history to reach 1,000 rushing yards in a season.
By the numbers

A closer look at Wille Parker's statistics this season:

Att-212, Yds-937

Avg.-4.4, TDs-3

Rec.-17, Yds-201, TD-1

By Joe Bendel
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Saturday, December 24, 2005


Fast Willie Parker slowed things down the other day.
The Steelers tailback took a stroll down memory lane, all the way to his senior year at Clinton High School in North Carolina.

"That's the last time I ran for 1,000 yards," Parker said, his eyes staring straight ahead.

Although it's been only six years, that 1,000-yard season seems like a lifetime ago for Parker, who endured an up-and-down college career at the University of North Carolina, suffered through the murder of his best friend and continually deals with the skepticism surrounding his ability to be an every-day NFL back.

Through it all, Parker has maintained his composure.

"You have to," he said.

Today against the Browns in Cleveland, Parker has a chance to become the first Steelers running back in four seasons and sixth in history to eclipse 1,000 yards, joining Barry Foster, Jerome Bettis, Franco Harris, Rocky Bleier and John Henry Johnson. He is 63 yards shy of the milestone -- and he'll get a chance to reach it against the 27th-ranked run defense in the NFL.

"It would be a big accomplishment for me, knowing where I've been and how far I've come to get here," Parker said. "This is a real big deal for me."

Parker, 5-foot-10, 209 pounds, is a true Cinderella story, an undrafted back who arrived here last season as a project. He easily could have embraced his role as a special teams player and as a backup to veterans Jerome Bettis and Duce Staley, but fate stepped in during training camp.

Staley, who entered the year as the Steelers' top back, tore the lateral meniscus of his right knee on the first day and did not return to full strength until midway through the season. Bettis, meantime, suffered a calf strain in the second-to-last preseason game and was unavailable until Week 4.

That left it up to Parker to play the lead role on a team that lives and dies by the run.

"He came out and made plays right away for us. He showed he could handle this," Steelers right guard Kendall Simmons said.

In his 2005 debut, Parker ran for 161 yards on 22 carries (7.3 yards per rush) and a touchdown in a 34-7 win against the Tennessee Titans. His longest run covered 45 yards and he totaled 209 from scrimmage, including a 49-yard screen pass. He was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week.

The following game, at Houston, he finished with 111 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries, which included a 19-yard sprint.

At that point, the Steelers were 2-0 and Parker was the toast of the town. But soon after, he discovered that fame can be fleeting.

He has hit the 100-yard mark just once in the past 12 games (131 vs. the Bengals in Week 6), and, when the Steelers went on a three-game losing streak in Weeks 10-12, he began to hear the nay-sayers.

Calls for Staley and Bettis were getting more and more audible to the young back.

"When things aren't going right, you gotta pick somebody to blame," said Parker, who ran for 173 yards on 45 attempts during the losing skid. "I'm not saying (fans) were blaming me, but there were a lot of questions being asked, and none of them were being answered because we were a little down. Now, things are picking up a little bit, and that's a plus. But I guess you can say it is what it is. That's life as a football player. You're going to have some positives and some negatives."

While some questioned Parker, coach Bill Cowher never gave up on the 25-year-old back, starting him in all 13 games he's played. Parker sat out the first Cleveland contest, a 34-21 win, due to an ankle injury.

In the past two games, Parker has rushed for 149 yards on 35 carries, in addition to four receptions for 61 yards in victories over the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings. If he keeps up his current pace, reaching 1,000 today should not be a problem.

"I think about all the 1,000-yard rushers I watched growing up, Emmitt Smith, Barry Sanders," Parker said. "I used to see them put up those numbers, and they were the real deal. They always gave their offensive line credit for what they did, and I feel the same way. Those guys have made it happen for me. This is a chance to be an elite running back, a guy getting those 1,000 yards. I'm going to feel real good if I can do it."

Joe Bendel can be reached at joecbendel@aol.com or (412) 320-7811.

[POJO_Risin]

The old man...

lmfao...


The Old Man and the 'D'

By Joe Starkey
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Saturday, December 24, 2005

Sometimes, it's not easy finding Kimo.
But even if Steelers defensive end Kimo von Oelhoffen doesn't always stand out on television during the course of a game, he is doing things to help his team win.

Lots of things, according to his teammates.

"He's very underrated around the league, but everyone in this locker room knows what kind of player he is," said linebacker Clark Haggans. "He's up there with the top defensive ends, for sure."

Von Oelhoffen, who turns 35 on Jan. 30, is easily the Steelers' oldest defensive starter and will play his 100th game with the team today in Cleveland. That includes six playoff games.

Von Oelhoffen has played 82 games in a row and has missed only one -- Sept. 30, 2001, at Buffalo because of an ankle injury -- since the Steelers signed him as an unrestricted free agent before the 2000 season.

This season, von Oelhoffen maintains, is his best yet. It's also a contract year, as he is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after the season.

The secret to his success?

"I work harder than anybody else; bottom line," he said. "I take care of my body."

He also plays with the wisdom gained from 12 NFL seasons.

"It has almost become second nature playing blocks," von Oelhoffen said. "I don't have to think too hard. I can play every scheme block there is. This is the most I've ever felt that nobody can block me."

Actually, von Oelhoffen often willingly sacrifices himself to blockers so that the linebackers can make plays.

"He makes a lot of plays people don't talk about by just being in the right gap, causing something that helps someone else make something happen," Haggans said.

Von Oelhoffen gets his licks in, too. He already has surpassed his solo- and total-tackle totals from last season, with 25 and 34, respectively, and he leads the Steelers' defensive linemen in sacks with three.

"I think some people thought he lost a beat," said fellow defensive end Aaron Smith. "I don't think he has."

In Sunday's 18-3 victory at Minnesota, von Oelhoffen blocked a field goal and forced a fumble. He also made a rare mistake, lining up offside in the neutral zone and thus wiping out a Haggans sack and fumble recovery.

Earlier this season, Steelers coach Bill Cowher said von Oelhoffen was playing "at a Pro Bowl level." This was after Cowher saw von Oelhoffen shrug off a painful left shoulder injury to record a sack and tip a pass that was intercepted by Smith in a victory at Cincinnati.

In that game, Smith and linebacker Joey Porter had to stretch von Oelhoffen's left arm and lift it above his shoulder before each series so that he could continue playing.

He did not miss a series.

"If his heart's beating, he's going to play football," Haggans said.

Von Oelhoffen figures his warrior mentality rubs off on people. He's a natural leader.

"I don't say much," he said. "They know it. I'm the last one in the locker room, the last one in the weight room. I practice every day. I'm almost 35 years old, and I don't miss practice. That in itself gives them a good feeling."

Porter, like Haggans, believes von Oelhoffen does as much for this defense as the more glorified defensive ends in the game do for theirs. Von Oelhoffen isn't a pass-rush demon. He's just a winner.

And a team player.

"He's one of the top defensive ends in the game," Porter said. "He doesn't get the credit for it, because he doesn't have the name of the Jason Taylors and the (Dwight) Freeneys and all those guys. But he does everything we ask him to do. If you want him to hold up two people, he'll do it.

"A guy like that, you have to have on a winning team."



Joe Starkey can be reached at jstarkey@tribweb.com.

[POJO_Risin]

Matchup of the game

By The Tribune-Review
Saturday, December 24, 2005

Browns RB Reuben Droughns vs. Steelers LB James Farrior

Reuben Droughns (5-foot-11, 215 pounds) had just 40 career carries for 97 yards entering the 2004 season but has been exceptionally busy since then.

Droughns carried 275 times for 1,240 yards in 2004 for Denver, and has already piled up 280 carries for 1,156 yards - and counting - this season for Cleveland. The carries are tied for the sixth most in a season in Browns' history (Jim Brown carried 280 times in 1964; only Brown and Mike Pruitt have carried more often for the Browns). Droughns' 1,156 yards constitute the first 1,000-yard season in Cleveland since Kevin Mack (1,104) and Earnest Byner (1,002) turned the trick in 1985, back when Bill Cowher was in his first year as the special teams coach in Cleveland.

Droughns was held to 56 yards on 17 attempts in the Steelers' 34-21 victory over the Browns on Nov. 13 at Heinz Field. He also had four catches for 67 yards, including a 22-yard gain on a screen. Droughns' big-play ability was more evident in the Browns' 22-0 win over Miami on Nov. 20, when he went 75 yards for a touchdown on Cleveland's first play. He's reached 100 yards three times this season and the Browns are 2-1 in those games.

James Farrior (6-foot-2, 243) was an All-Pro and the runner-up for NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2004, as well as the Steelers' MVP. He failed to make the AFC Pro Bowl squad this season, one that has featured fewer big plays from Farrior.

Farrior had four interceptions in 2004 but has none this season. He had three fumble recoveries a year ago but has none this season. He's also down in sacks (one from three) and forced fumbles (two from four) with two regular-season games remaining. One of the reason's Farrior's production has slipped is a knee injury sustained on Nov. 6 at Green Bay that forced Farrior to miss games on Nov. 13 against the Browns and Nov. 20 at Baltimore.

The good news for the Steelers is Farrior is getting healthy again. He had a team-high 11 tackles on Dec. 11 against Chicago and played without a knee brace last Sunday at Minnesota for the first time since sustaining his injury.

THE MATCHUP: The Browns will try to run Droughns at Farrior and the Steelers. If they have any hope of making things as easy as possible on rookie QB Charlie Frye, they'll have to establish a running game and keep the Steelers from teeing off on the pass rush. The way the Steelers' defense has played of late, that'll be a tall order. EDGE: STEELERS

LAST WEEK: The Steelers played keep-away from Vikings FS Darren Sharper, who was most noticeable only when RB Willie Parker was running away from him at the line of scrimmage on a 49-yard burst. The Steelers didn't often challenge Sharper and the ball-hawking Minnesota secondary because they didn't have to. EDGE: STEELERS

The Tribune-Review can be reached at ptrsports@tribweb.com.

[Va Beach VH Fan]

Now that's what I call a serious ass-whoopin'....

Play of the game, the very last one.... Foote just LIT UP Heiden to end the game....