From WDVE in Pittsburgh.

Enjoy.

Hilarious.

The Penguins blew a two-goal lead and fell for the third time in as many games without All-Star center Sidney Crosby, 3-2, against the Boston Bruins tonight at Consol Energy Center.

Crosby has a concussion.

The Penguins outshot Boston, 14-6, in a scoreless first period.

Just watched the third period of this game.

Sh*t. Sh*t. And Sh*t.

From TribLive:

Ten months after a Georgia student claimed Ben Roethlisberger raped her, a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review poll finds that a fourth of local fans dislike him.

But 54 percent of Western Pennsylvania residents hold a "favorable" opinion of the Steelers’ quarterback, according to the Dec. 21-22 telephone survey conducted by Susquehanna Polling & Research in Harrisburg. The poll’s margin of error was 3.24 percent.

After a night of drinking in bars in Milledgeville, Ga., a 20-year-old accused Roethlisberger on March 5 of assaulting her in a restroom. Lacking evidence of a crime, investigators condemned his boorish behavior but punted on prosecuting him. That left National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell to suspend Roethlisberger for four games.

A separate lawsuit is pending in Nevada, where a woman claims Roethlisberger raped her.

My son wore his Roethlisberger jersey to the Steelers game last Thursday night. And I was fine with that.

Just sayin’.

I may wear my jersey some day soon.

Yes, even the Pirates.

The man with the poetic name may play Sunday.

From PittsburghLive.com:

The Steelers are not ruling out strong safety Troy Polamalu for a game they likely have to win to capture a third division title in four years and a first-round bye in the playoffs. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said Polamalu, who has missed the past two games with a lower leg injury, will try to practice Friday and could play Sunday against the Browns. Tomlin said the Steelers will make a decision on Polamalu for the 1 p.m. game at Cleveland based on how well he is able to move in practice. “Troy’s improving,” Tomlin said Tuesday at his weekly news conference. “It’s not out of the realm of possibility that he could play this weekend, and if he’s healthy he will.” The best-case scenario for the Steelers is they beat the Browns without Polamalu. That would give the six-time Pro Bowler an extra week to get healthy because of the first-round bye the Steelers would get as the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs. If the Steelers lose to the Browns and the Ravens beat the Bengals, the Steelers would have to play on the road the following weekend. When asked Monday if he expected Polamalu to play in Cleveland, Steelers inside linebacker James Farrior said, “Doesn’t look good, but you never know.”

Shortstop Edgar Renteria’s three-run home run in the top of the seventh inning broke a 0-0 tie and sent San Francisco on its way to a 3-1 victory over the Texas Rangers in Game 5 on Monday night, giving the Giants their first World Series title since 1954.

Tim Lincecum, who was also the winner in Game 1, was the winning pitcher. He allowed 3 hits and struck out 10 in eight innings. The only run he allowed was a solo home run by Nelson Cruz in the bottom of the seventh.

From Sports Illustrated:

Instant analysis from the Giants 3-1 victory in Game 5 to win the World Series:

• This is the Giants’ first World Series title since moving to San Francisco in 1958. They had won five previous championships back when they called New York home, last winning in 1954.

• By virtue of his three-run homer in the seventh — his second game-winning RBIs of this series and second series-winning RBIs of any World Series, having won the 1997 series — shortstop Edgar Renteria was named Series MVP. He batted 7-for-17 with two homers, six RBIs and six runs in the series.

• Tim Lincecum was brilliant, throwing 71 of his 101 pitches for strikes and getting 16 swing-and-miss strikes, 10 of them on his slider, a pitch he only fully incorporated into his arsenal over the past month. He struck out 10 while allowing only three hits, two walks and one run.

• Seven of the last eight World Series now have ended in four or five games.

Da Bears Won!

Da Bears toppled the Cowboys! And Jay Cutler played one helluva game!

From the Sun-Times:

Before kickoff at Cowboys Stadium Sunday, Bears receiver Devin Hester wanted to clear the air with quarterback Jay Cutler.

“I went to Jay and told him, ‘Regardless of what anybody is saying, don’t force nothing to me,’ ” Hester recalled telling Cutler, who quipped on Wednesday that he would have gotten the receiver the ball more than once if “Devin would’ve gotten open.”

“ ‘If I’m not there, don’t throw me the ball,’ ” Hester said. “ ‘Let’s just go out and play ball and have fun.’ ”

After a shaky start, the Bears regrouped and celebrated a 27-20 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, thanks to outstanding efforts from numerous players, including Cutler and Hester. The defense forced three turnovers; Cutler completed 21 of 29 passes for 277 yards with three touchdowns (136.7 passer rating) and no turnovers; and Hester showcased his playmaking skills with a one-handed nine-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter and a 38-yarder that set up the Bears final touchdown.

“We’re going to hang in there, and take whatever flak or blame that comes our way,” Bears center Olin Kreutz said. “Really gratifying to watch Hester, just with the stuff he took last week. He just hung in there.

“But that’s kind of the identity of our offense.”

This was a statement game for the Bears and Hester.

The Cowboys were a popular pick to win the NFC, and they are an excellent team at home, especially in their beautiful billion-dollar gold standard of a stadium. Heading into the game, Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo earned three Pro Bowl selections largely with his play in Irving (Texas Stadium) and Arlington (Cowboys Stadium; he was 19-9 with a passer rating of 99.6.

But the Bears defense – just as they did against the Detroit Lions – made the Cowboys one-dimensional, stiflingly the three-headed running attack of Marion Barber (11 carries, 31 yards), Felix Jones (seven carries, seven yards) and Tashard Choice (one run, minus one yard). Romo attempted 51 passes, completing 34, for 374 yards, but he was twice picked off by third cornerback D.J. Moore, and he clearly struggled to adjust to the Bears’ zone.

Incredible.

More here at the Sun-Times.

We’ll never know, because he’s dead.

From the Chicago Tribune:

A male victim on a bicycle died after he was struck by a vehicle on the Dan Ryan Expressway tonight, officials said.

The accident happened at about 9:15 p.m. on the northbound lanes of the express lanes near 55th Street, said Illinois State Police Trooper S. Matias.

Police did not have any information about the victim and did not know why he was riding a bicycle on the Dan Ryan.

Too bad for him. And too bad even more for the driver of the vehicle that hit him.

This Labor Day, plan on joining the fun in Park Forest during the 2nd Annual running of the Park Forest Scenic 5 and More. The race has been reconstituted onto a 5 mile course and augmented with a 5 mile family bike ride
on the same course, a 5K nature walk around the Central Park Wetlands and include a
variety of other activities at the Park Forest Aqua Center. Check out the course and invite
your friends to come out and cheer on the runners and bikers, or better yet, join in the fun
and fitness of the event.

Click here to register on-line through signmeup.com and receive a $2 discount.

Scenic 5 Mile and more…Race Brochure/Registration Form

Race features:

• 5 mile family bike ride on the same course,
• 5K nature walk around the Central Park Wetlands, and
• A variety of other activities at the Park Forest Aqua Center, 30 N. Orchard, Park Forest.

Events begin on Monday, September 6 at 8 a.m. and include:

• Beautiful Scenic 5 Mile Route (USATF #IL08085 certified course)
• Musical Entertainment
• Children’s Fun Run
• CARA Runners’ Choice Series
• Free T-shirt and refreshments
• Prize money and awards
• Post race Food Fest/Pool Party (bring the family)
• Shower facilities
• Marks and splits every mile
• Aid stations at the Start, Finish and along the route
• Marshals along the route

Click here to register on-line through signmeup.com and receive a $2 discount.

Scenic 5 Mile and more…Race Brochure/Registration Form

The race is a fast and flat picturesque run beginning Downtown (Orchard & Main St)
and cruising past the 90 acre Central Park/Wetlands. At 1.5 miles, runners
will dive onto the straight, flat and shaded Old Plank Road Bike Trail for
another 1.5 miles then onto the curving streets of Park Forest.

The home stretch will be Orchard Dr, passing under the Trail (only
significant hills on the course) and finish at Central Park and home
of the Village’s 4-Pool Aquatics Complex (feel free to jump in). Along the
way, townspeople are out in crowds encouraging you, giving water and
cheers. You will discover musical surprises all along the route. This
picturesque course is a CARA Runners’ Choice Series, and certified by
USATF #IL08085.

Check out the course and invite your friends to come out and cheer on the runners and bikers or better yet join in the fun and fitness of the event. For additional information, visit the Village’s website at: www.villageofparkforest.com.

Click here to register on-line through signmeup.com and receive a $2 discount.

Scenic 5 Mile and more…Race Brochure/Registration Form

The Steelers improved their preseason record to 2-0 with a 24-17 win over the New York Giants at the New Meadowlands Stadium.

“A lot of things we can get better at and we could have done better tonight,” said Coach Mike Tomlin. “That is what the preseason and the remainder of the preseason is about. We intend to work on a lot of things in those areas.”

Ben Roethlisberger started the game for the Steelers getting his first playing time of the preseason. Roethlisberger completed six of eight passes for 76 yards, one interception and a passer rating of 64.6.

“The first time out for him I thought he did some nice things,” said Tomlin. “He moved us. It was a good start.”

Roethlisberger played 20 snaps, which Tomlin was pleased with the time for it being his first outing.

“For the first time out, he got what he would have gotten had it been like last week under normal circumstances and the starters going out playing for his first time out,” said Tomlin. “That was our intention. He probably got a little more than that because one of those drives ended in an interception and we weren’t going to let him walk off like that. He got a decent amount of work. It was good for him. We will see where we go from here.”

From ChicagoBears.com:

10:18 PM – Robbie Gould’s 25-yard field goal drew the Bears to within 27-17 with 9:21 left in the fourth quarter. Desmond Clark had a big grin on his face after a successful snap on the kick.

10:30 PM – Dan LeFevour’s overthrown pass was intercepted by safety Stevie Brown, who returned it 46 yards to the Bears’ 9-yard line. The turnover led to Swayze Waters’ 28-yard field goal, widening the Raiders’ lead to 30-17 with 5:12 left in the fourth quarter.

10:36 PM – Brad Maynard just had a punt blocked out of the end zone for a safety for the second straight week as Slade "Don’t Call Me Chuck" Norris blew past Juaquin Iglesias and blocked the punt. That makes the score 32-17. Well … I’m heading down to the field to do post-game interviews. Thanks for following along with the blog. Stay logged onto ChicagoBears.com for expanded game coverage.

Just reporting.

But the Steelers’ writer is a better reporter.

Yup.

Just sayin’.

The Chicago Bears slumber still, and it’s time to wake up.

Jay Cutler did well enough. Mike Martz looks promising. The final score, however, still went the other way, after Cutler was benched.

From the Sun-Times:

Do you have a second? That’s about how long Jay Cutler played Saturday. If you made the unfortunate decision to blink during the Bears’ first offensive series in their 25-10 loss to the San Diego Chargers, you missed two nice Cutler passes that netted 47 yards.

If you had to go to the bathroom, the beginning of the Cutler-Mike Martz era is a rumor to you.

Those two Cutler passes? Things of beauty. And if you were lucky enough to see them, you have no choice but to conclude that Martz, the new offensive coordinator, is indeed the genius the Bears say he is. Johnny Knox was so alone on the first one, a 33-yard reception, he might as well have been in the middle of Wyoming.

If the Bears go on to have a big season, the record will have to be changed to show that, rather than being woefully out of position on the play, Chargers defenders simply were Martzed in the preseason opener.

But if the Cutler-Martz start-up was magical Saturday, it was only because the starting quarterback disappeared into thin air. He took part in eight plays, threw those two passes to Knox, was sacked once, avoided another sack and oversaw a drive that ended in a field goal.

After that, Cutler stood on the sideline with a towel draped over his shoulder and a cup in his hand and chilled. It was a laid-back, California kind of evening for him.

For those of you who came to this post hoping to bash Dennis, he wasn’t driving.

Still…

From AOL:

Former NBA star Dennis Rodman walked away unhurt after riding in an SUV that flipped over on an interstate in South Florida.

Sgt. Mark Wysocky of the Florida Highway Patrol said Rodman and another passenger weren’t injured in the single-vehicle crash on Saturday on Interstate 95 near Fort Lauderdale. The driver was taken to a hospital.

Wysocky said the Land Rover flipped over after having a tire problem. No charges are expected.

Rodman’s agent, Darren Prince, said he spoke with his client on Sunday, and he confirmed that he was unhurt. Rodman had just returned to the U.S. from the Caribbean island of St. Tropez, where he had a disc-jockey gig.

"Thank God he’s OK," Prince said. "He walked out with a little scratch on his finger."

For those of us in Chicago, we simply remember Dennis as Bizarre. Different.

And One Helluva B-Ball Player.

He owned “The Boards.”

And that meant the world to us in Chicagoland, way back when.

Glad you’re okay, Mr. Rodman.

Ben Roethlisberger needs positive headelines, soon.

Not like this, from USA Today:

Police in Dublin, Ohio, investigated a golf foursome that included Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger after a woman bordering the course alleged that a person in the group had urinated in public.

Dublin police spokesman David Ball told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that no charges or citations were issued and that Roethlisberger was not the person seen urinating.

"We received a call that said a member of the party urinated on private property," Ball told the paper. "We spoke to the golf course and they agreed to discuss this issue internally with their members."

Roethlisberger, a native of Findlay, Ohio, was suspended 6 games in April for violating the league’s personal-conduct policy. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell ordered Roethlisberger into a behavioral evaluation program and held open the potential for extending the ban if he wasn’t satisfied by Roethlisberger’s progress.

Double Yoy!

I can’t believe this. At all.

And I won’t watch.

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

ESPN reported that LeBron James will announce his NBA plans on its network at 8 p.m. Thursday in an hourlong special.

ESPN’s Chris Broussard reported Tuesday night that James’ ”representatives” contacted the network and asked for the unusual arrangement. Broussard reported that ESPN officials confirmed the request but added the network was not told what James’ decision will be.

Both James’ publicist Keith Estabrook and ESPN spokesman Josh Krulewitz declined comment to the Associated Press.

You have got to be kidding.

For those of you obsessed with LeBron, my sympathies.

I really hope this immense ego does not land in Chicago.

From the L.A. Times:

Phil Jackson said it himself. He’s ready for one last stand.

Energized after a week at his Montana lakeside home, Jackson decided to return for an 11th season with the Lakers, the chance to go for another three-peat outweighing the desire to be merely a spectator next season.

"Count me in," he said Thursday in a statement released by the Lakers. "After a couple of weeks of deliberation, it is time to get back to the challenge of putting together a team that can defend its title in the 2010-11 season. It’ll be the last stand for me, and I hope a grand one."

He provided additional context in a brief e-mail to The Times.

"I got a message from on high … that said, ‘Phil, you’ve got to come back, there is a need to fulfill the prophecy. You know 12 [titles] is a holy number and 11 just doesn’t fill that.…’

"So I listened to my doctors and watched the sunrise and the sunset a few times and voila, I’m back."

The Great Zen Buddhist Coach rides again.

My money’s on a three-peat.

No, they’re not kidding. One hundred people in Black Hawk, Colorado, believe their village would be safer without bicicyles on the streets.

This one comes to us from across the pond:

A town in the US has banned cyclists on most of its streets, punishing anyone who gets caught with a $68 (£46) fine. Black Hawk in Colorado, which has a population of just above 100, is thought to be the first town in the US to make cycling illegal after a change in civic law.

The curious decree has been introduced for "health and safety" reasons, said administrators of the former goldmining town, which in the 1990s decided to develop gambling to prevent the place vanishing altogether.

Michael Copp, Black Hawk’s city manager, the equivalent of chief executive of a local council in the UK, admitted there had not been any accidents to prompt the ban, just concern over potential collisions between motor vehicles and bicycles on 19th-century streets that were designed for horses and carriages.

The town started enforcing the ban on 5 June, five months after it passed the law requiring cyclists to dismount and wheel their bikes through the town. So far eight tickets have been issued, said Copp.

Copp, who does not cycle himself, said the council passed the ordinance after the town experienced a surge in traffic – buses, delivery trucks, and motorists – following a law that increased the maximum betting limits from $5 to $100 once it chose gambling as its raison d’etre.

No accidents. And this gamble-happy hamlet apparently consulted no experts, no national studies. Just did away with two-wheelers.

Oy.