Pittsburgh Sports Fan Blog

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After a rough, tough, high-scoring victory over the rival Ravens last week, the Steelers are one win away from reaching the Super Bowl for the third time in six years. Standing in their way is a very cocky, confident Jets team coming off consecutive wins against the two best quarterbacks in today’s game.

The Steelers have a pretty good quarterback too in Ben Roethlisberger, who has already won two Super Bowls through six years in the league. He, like Michael Vick, is on his own personal road to redemption after missing the first four games this season due to off the field issues. His play will be a major deciding factor on offense in who comes out victorious, but it’s on the defensive end where the game will be won.

It’s no secret that the Steelers have one of the top defenses in the league. It’s pretty much been a foregone conclusion throughout most of the decade. If the Steelers win, it will most likely be because of their defense. As indispensable as Big Ben is, the Steelers have a much more important player on the defensive end of the ball in No. 43: Troy Polamalu.

The Steelers lost their Week 15 game with the Jets 22-17. Brad Smith ran a kick back for a touchdown to start the game. The other deciding sequence was the safety that extended the Jet lead to 22-17, making a chip-shot field goal to tie the game out of the question when the Steelers were in the red zone during the waning seconds of the contest. But there was another reason as to why the Steelers let one slip away. Polamalu was not playing.

I can say this with confidence: Troy Polamalu is the most important defensive player to any one team. His absence is almost like an offense missing their starting quarterback. Just his presence alters a quarterback’s initial passing progressions. He single-handedly accounted for the Steelers division-deciding win over the Ravens in the regular season when he forced a fumble on Joe Flacco that led to Roethlisberger’s game-deciding touchdown to win the game. He even snagged seven interceptions in the regular season, good for second in the league despite missing two games.

So it’s safe to say he’s the main man when he steps onto the field. And he’s not the only guy you have to look out for. Don’t forget about the big three linebackers in James Farrior, James Harrison, and LaMarr Woodley.

The Steelers are excited to have Polamalu for this game against the Jets. Mark Sanchez is not excited. “He’s the ultimate playmaker,” Sanchez said of Polamalu. “He’ll do anything. He’ll sacrifice his body. He’ll kind of freelance out there and read your eyes. Especially a young quarterback, he’ll try to get after you early and rattle you.”

Good luck with that.

By Josh Delp of the Sports Fan Blog Network

The Pittsburgh Steelers are working closely with troubled quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to make sure he turns his life around, although coach Mike Tomlin didn’t offer any specifics Wednesday about what the team is doing.

Tomlin said he talks regularly with Roethlisberger, who recently underwent a behavioral evaluation as part of the six-game suspension handed down April 21 by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.

“He has a commitment to being what we desire for him to be and what his team needs him to be and that’s my focus,” Tomlin said. “I’ve seen Ben quite a bit and communicated with him quite a bit throughout all of this.”

Roethlisberger was suspended after a 20-year-old Georgia college student accused him of sexual assault in March. No charges were filed.

Roethlisberger is also being sued by a woman who claims he sexually assaulted her at a Lake Tahoe hotel in 2008 but faces no charges.

Click here to read the full article – By of ESPN.com

The Pirates and the 20,235 vocal fans at PNC Park had much to like from this Memorial Day matinee, a 2-1 late victory against the Chicago Cubs …

Ross Ohlendorf pitched seven strong innings, charged with one undeserved run.


Garrett Jones homered and doubled.

Bobby Crosby’s pinch-hit RBI single scored Jones after the latter to break a 1-1 tie.

And Octavio Dotel closed it out with a strikeout for his 11th save and the official end of the team’s five-game losing streak.

Even the weather cooperated, with pockets of thunderstorms all over the county but somehow dodging the North Shore.

Nice day, right?

Well, forget it all and focus instead on what reliever Evan Meek called “the play that won this game,” a defensive gem by third baseman Andy LaRoche that might have been, in its own way, among the Pirates’ best this summer.

Click here to read the full article – By Dejan Kovacevic of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

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With Ben Roethlisberger focusing more on taking advantage of ladies than football this past off-season, the Pittsburgh Steelers need a new starting quarterback for the first 4-6 games of the upcoming season. As of right now, it sounds as if Byron Leftwich will be that starting quarterback. However, if rumors are true that Dennis Dixon has looked good, then it might be best for Pittsburgh to choose him as the starter. Let’s be honest; there is no way Roethlisberger will ever be traded while he is still an elite player. And at the same time, Leftwich is a serviceable backup, but not the type of player that teams will be yearning to have.

Teams will always seek young quarterbacks. Players like Brady Quinn are traded on a regular basis. Suppose Leftwich starts the beginning of the year, and lives up to expectations. Nothing will change. But, if Dixon starts, and plays well, he has instant trade value. And the Steelers could be shipping away an undrafted player, and get quality value in return. It is a tough risk for a team that is clearly in win-now mode. But if they want to win now, and win later, Dennis Dixon should be their man at the beginning of the season.

by David at the Sports Fan Blog Network

With a wildly offensive second period straight out of the 1980s, Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins moved within one victory of advancing to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Crosby had four points, including two of Pittsburgh’s five goals in the second, leading the Penguins to a 7-4 win over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night and a 3-1 series lead.

Crosby assisted on Evgeni Malkin’s power-play goal 11:50 in, the only score of the first period.

Crosby scored two of Pittsburgh’s three goals in a 2:25 span early in the second. Matt Cooke scored 12 seconds after Crosby’s first goal to make it 3-0, and the Penguins’ 22-year-old captain added his fourth goal of the series at 6:12 to chase Brian Elliott.

“I feel like I’m creating things,” Crosby said. “That’s what I want to do and the puck’s gone in.”

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers are waiting for NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s ruling on whether the quaterback will face disciplinary action from the league. League sources believe that Goodell will suspend Roethlisberger for at least two games this season. Roethlisberger’s possible suspensions stem from two sexual assault accusations in the past year and a half. Although the Steelers star has not been charged with a crime in the wake of these accusations, Roger Goodell has stated that Roethilsberger did break the NFL’s personal conduct policy.

While Ben Roethlisberger may be a free man, it seems that he has alot of work to do to repair his image and win back the fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Many seem to be done with the off field issues that have plauged Roethlisberger, and some believe that the Steelers should trade or release the quaterback who has led the team to two Super Bowl wins. While it is expected that the Steelers keep Roethlisberger, they did trade troubled wide reciever and former Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes, dumping Roethlisberger would not be a complete shock.

by Josh Weiner at the Sports Fan Blog Network

Even faced with the constant attention of the Ottawa Senators’ top pair of defensemen, Sidney Crosby keeps finding ways to lead the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Crosby had a goal and an assist, Evgeni Malkin scored his third playoff goal, and Pittsburgh beat Ottawa 4-2 on Sunday night to take a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference series.

Marc-Andre Fleury made 20 saves and Alexei Ponikarovsky and Bill Guerin also scored for the defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins, who won their second in a row following a 5-4 loss to the Senators in the series opener.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

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The Pirates unconditionally released infielder Ramon Vazquez on Thursday. If he signs elsewhere, that team will be responsible for $400,000 of Vazquez’s salary, and the Pirates will be on the hook for the other $1.6 million. If Vazquez does not sign with anyone this year, the Pirates will have to pay his entire $2 million salary.

» Second baseman Aki Iwamura got his first hit in a Pirates uniform, singling in the third inning off Chad Billingsley.

» The Pirates started three bench players: Ryan Church in left field in place of Lastings Milledge, Delwyn Young in right field for Garrett Jones and Bobby Crosby at shortstop in place of Ronny Cedeno. Jones started at first base for Jeff Clement.

» John Raynor, a Rule 5 pickup from Florida, made his major-league debut as a pinch hitter in the ninth. He walked.

Click here to read the full article – By Karen Price of PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW

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