Please save us Mr. Cuban!! (from Three Hamiltons blog)

I am sure there is no way Mark Cuban would ever find his way to this blog, but I am going to make my plea anyway, if only to make myself feel better. As I watch the Pittsburgh Pirates' 14th straight losing season unfold, I feel like a rubber-necker watching another car wreck on the Parkway East. It is during this time of year, May - when the Pirates are officially out of contention, that my thoughts return to the annual dream of Mark Cuban, a Pittsburgh area native, riding in on a white horse (or Humvee, if he so chooses) and purchasing the team from the clutches of evil Kevin McClatchy and the non-existent Nutting family. Clearly, they do not have the financial or marketing clout to save this team from the baseball abyss in which it currently resides.

There is ZERO doubt in my mind that Mr. Cuban has both the money and passion to build a winning franchise again in the great city of Pittsburgh. He is a smart enough businessman to realize that all of the variables are place for a very successful situation. The team already has one of the 2-3 best ballparks in all of baseball, they compete in the less rugged National League, and they have a solid farm system from which to start. There is one other factor though that I think is the most important. There is a great, loyal fan base just waiting for a winner.

Now, it goes without saying that Pittsburgh is a football town. I mean, the dungeon that was Three Rivers Stadium, God rest its soul, was sold out even during the terrible end of the Noll era, when Walter Abercrombie and Mark Malone passed as stars (ahhhhhhhh....bad flashbacks...think Super Bowl XL, Hines Ward, Big Ben...that's better...sorry for the tangent). But, I firmly believe that Pirates fans are just so beaten down by what amounts to 25 years of horrid baseball, that they are just tired and waiting for a savior. When you think about the fact that, save the nice six year run during the Bonds/Leyland/LaValliere era of 1988-1993, these fans have been subject to horrible baseball for a VERY long time. I mean, do the names Jason Thompson, Sammy Khalifa, Mike Kingery, Jacob Brumfield, and John Wehner mean anything to you? Didn't think so.

All we want is hope. Seriously. I have no doubt that, if Cuban bought the team, interest in the Pirates would shoot through the roof, even before the winning started. And, with Cuban, the winning would start pretty quickly. He is not afraid to lose some money for a few years to win back the fans and win games. Everyone forgets what a joke the Mavericks were prior to his ownership. They were every bit as pathetic as the Clippers were until recently. Now, they are perennially one of the top 3-4 teams in the league and sell out every game. I can speak from experience, having attended a Mavs/Pacers game over Christmas, their game experience is second to none. The arena is amazing, the fans are so engaged, and the atmosphere is electric.

Let's face it, Pittsburgh sports fans are a) savvy, b) impatient, and most importantly, c) not rich enough to throw cash away. For the past 14 years, being a diehard Pirates fan means throwing money away. I know from personal experience as, prior to moving to Boston in 2001, my buddies and I spent usually 2 nights during each homestand trekking to Three Rivers Stadium with roughly 7,000-10,000 other poor diehards just out to support our team. Even since my move, while watching the Red Sox go through a renaissance, my allegiance has never waived (though I will admit to following the Sox also, based on a childhood fascination with Clemens, Greenwell, Big Mo, and the fact that living here requires you know all things Sox). The first thing I do every morning is check out the prior night Buccos score/recap, which usually prompts a day long email discussion with those same Pittsburgh buddies about the good, bad, and ugly of another lost season. Heck, I have even convinced my ever-understanding wife to let me spend an extra $10 a month on our DirecTV package at our new house, just so I can get the regional sports package with FSN Pittsburgh to watch the games!! (NOTE: the reason I am getting DirecTV in the first place though is to get the NFL Sunday Ticket to follow the Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers).

I refuse to believe that my buddies and I are the only fans like this out there. When I listen to my father, who never really waxes nostalgic about sports, talk about going to Forbes field to see the great Roberto Clemente, Elroy Face, Bill Mazeroski, Dick Groat, listening to the legendary voice of Bob Prince, and following the great 70's teams with "Pops" Stargell and Kent Tekulve, there is clearly a strong fanbase out there waiting for a return to those days. Heck I can even remember watching the Leyland teams with my grandma on hot summer nights, because they had cable and we didn't, and she always loved watching the games. And, I am convince that if Mark Cuban bought the team, fans would return in droves, bringing that dampened spirit back with them. Pittsburgh has the potential to be a two-sport town, all we need is a reason to believe.

With the 32nd pick in the 1st round of the 2006 NFL Draft...(from Three Hamiltons blog)

As the 2006 NFL draft draws near, I felt it was time to do a quick 4 round wishlist for my beloved Super Bowl XL Champion Pittsburgh Steelers. Please note: no Ravens were harmed in the making of this draft board:

1st round: Nick Mangold (C - Ohio State), Darnell Bing (S - USC) or Bobby Carpenter (LB - Ohio State)

Comment: I still believe Pittsburgh would snag LenDale White if, in light of his recent escapades, he keeps falling, but there are doubts that he fits the type of "team friendly" attitude they embrace. I felt for weeks that, with 3 4th round picks, they were in good position to trade up in the first round (ala 2003 when they traded the 27th pick, a 3rd rounder and a 6th rounder to move up 11 spots to #16 to draft current Pro Bowler Troy Polamalu). I cannot see them doing anything like that in light of White's recent actions. A more likely selection, Mangold would be able to come in and learn under Jeff Hartings for a year, before taking over in 2007. As for Carpenter, he would provide some much needed youth/depth at ILB, but he has worked out very well, and teams like the Pats and NYG need LB help and are picking in front of the World Champs. Bing could potentially learn for a year behind newly-acquired Ryan Clark, before joining fellow Trojan Polamalu in 2007.

2nd round: Calvin Lowry (S - Penn State) or Greg Eslinger (C - Minnesota)

Comments: Bing will likely be gone when the Steelers pick at #64, but they clearly need safety depth. I felt that last season Lowry really established himself as the type of intelligent/athletic DB that would fit in well at FS with SS Polamalu and young CBs Ike Taylor, Ricardo Coclough, and Bryant McFadden. He was a very productive player on last year's dominant 11-1 Orange Bowl winning defense, and he had pro day in State College a few weeks back. Eslinger could be a solid fall back pick if Mangold does not pan out at #32.

3rd round: Gerald Riggs, Jr. (RB - University of Tennessee)

Comments: Injuries really hurt his college productivity, but he is a bigger back with good instincts/genes. You have to figure that after the 5 top RBs are off the board (Bush, White, Maroney, Williams, and Addai), there will be few teams left with glaring RB issues, considering most jobs are solidified at this point. Plus, the Steelers are one of the few teams looking for those bigger backs, which I would classify Riggs as at 235 lbs. They definitely need a younger big back as insurance for the ever-shaky health of Duce Staley.

4th round (a): Paul Pinegar (QB - Fresno State) or Bruce Gradkowski (QB - Toledo)

Comments: After watching Tommy Maddox nearly submarine the Super Bowl season with his performance against Jacksonville, it is clearly time to take the role of Big Ben's caddy seriously (I will say, I am a Batch backer. He's a solid veteran). Neither of these QBs really strike me as starting NFL QB material, but I would be thrilled to have either groomed as a long-term back-up to the godsend. I prefer Gradkowski because he was very productive in the MAC, he is a Pittsburgh native, and he is a tough competitor. A perfect Steeler QB.

4th round (b): Martin Nance (WR - U of Miami OH), Jonathan Orr (WR - Wisconsin), or Domenik Hixon (WR - Akron)

Comments: Due to the presence of Super Bowl MVP Hines Ward and future Pro Bowl TE Heath Miller, I do not see WR as such as huge need as some Steelers fans, but they could definitely use some depth. I was never a huge Randle El fan, as he was a glorified #3 WR and did not really bring much outside of the 3-4 trick plays a year...well worth $27M, right? All three of these WRs should be available here, barring any draft day assentions. Some experts probably would think the 4th round is too high even, at least for Nance and Hixon. Nance had an extremely productive sophomore year with Roethlisberger at QB, and he is the big, strong bodied WR they are currently lacking. I saw Hixon just abuse Memphis (point noted, it was Memphis) in the MAC championship last fall, and he is another physically gifted, bigger WR. Orr was another in a recent string of productive UW WRs who is fast and fairly big.

4th round (c): Michael Robinson (QB/WR/RB - Penn State), Brad Smith (QB/WR/RB - Missouri), Marques Hagans (QB/WR - Virginia), or Reggie McNeal (QB/WR - Texas A&M)

Comments: With so many college QBs in this draft attempting make the transition to WR, you just know the Steelers are taking one at some point. They love these types of guys. There is a chance that McNeal and Robinson could be gone by the 4th round, but there is a chance all 4 could be available. I prefer Robinson, given his leadership ability and versatility, but I also am most familiar with him. Smith was an extremely productive multi-dimensional threat at Mizzou for four years, but he has not worked out well at WR.

Well, there are my thoughts. It should be interesting to see how it plays out.