Rich's Sports Beat

*An offseason often seems to be a time when most action takes place. We are in the midst of two offseasons (Steelers and Penguins) and slowly trudging our way through another long Pirates season. While the kids have all been brought up and, through their growing pains, may provide an upside, finally, for the local baseball team, it is going to take (more) time. So, we are in a drought, locally, for sports until training camp opens at the end of July. Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you know the Ben Roethlisberger situation. He has done television interviews and showed up at his (Head Coach Mike Tomlin is running it this year) football camp last Wednesday. Given his shattered image, and now listed on Forbes most hated sports figures list at number three, it might have been a good move to show up and work with the kids. If you want to score points with people, especially parents, be a positive impact on their children. Ben has a long way to go, and he knows it. Missing ...

*Football. It was announced last week that the Steelers will report to training camp in Latrobe on July 30 and the first practice will be July 31. Training camp will be very short this year, but that doesn’t matter. It is a rite of passage in these parts, so the limited time is insignificant. While it is something I cannot describe, football has a calming influence (power) over me. It began while I was a child in school. The Steelers won their first four Super Bowls while I was in elementary and middle school. Those were pretty good years in my scholastic career, for the most part. Football meant autumn. The seasons began their transition. The weather started to get cooler. There was a crispness in the air. That meant football weather and I got excited. Saturdays and Sundays in the fall were my release days, especially in high school, but also during my earlier years. Those were the days I could get away from all of the adversity in my life from school and just be myself....

For most in these parts, no one sways much west of the Mississippi River. The focus in college sports around here are Pitt, Penn State, West Virginia, and to an extent Ohio State and Michigan. There is a sprinkling of us who follow all of the (major) conferences from all over the country, but most here choose to stay local. That’s fine. That’s also one of the reasons why Sports Beat ventures outside the box and brings more insight into what is going on the world of sports. The order of the day is the expansion of major college conferences and, more specifically, the Big Ten and the Pac 10. As of this moment, Nebraska has been courted by, and accepted an invitation to, the Big Ten. Also Colorado has decided to join the Pac 10. Mind you, both schools are/were members of the Big 12, which used to be the Big Eight many years ago. It expanded when the then Southwestern Conference broke apart. Before going any further, here is the story locally. Years ago, Pitt and Penn State play...

So, Ben Roethlisberger spoke with the Pittsburgh media Thursday and, depending on your perspective, spoke from the heart and sounded sincere. Whether one believes it is up to the individual and to interpretation. In most walks of life, talk is cheap. It’s all about action. He still faces a six game suspension, without pay, and four if good behavior is displayed. Okay, this goes back to the age old myth, are athletes role models? Is it because they play a sport, make lots of money playing a kids game, and are on television all the time? Is it because they possess skills that most of us can only dream about? Should we allow our children to look at athletes as role models. The debate rages and will likely never die. I have gone on record as saying how much I admire Sidney Crosby, presently 22 years my junior, even though he will be 23 in August. Sid carries himself with all the poise and class of someone 10, 20 years older. Matter of fact, he carries himself better than most, ...

*Our sincere congratulations to Fox Chapel’s Chip Ganassi for completing the racing double by winning the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday with Dario Franchitti after winning the Daytona 500 back in February with Jamie McMurray. Winning any race is most difficult. Winning the crown jewel of either racing discipline is an achievement. Winning both in the same year is remarkable. Ganassi being a Pittsburgh guy makes it that much sweeter! *Okay, Ben Roethlisberger was cleared by Roger Goodell to resume practicing with the Steelers during offseason workouts. But he is not even close to being in the clear. He is still staring at a six game, unpaid, suspension. No matter how this plays out, another quarterback is going to run the Steelers offense for the first quarter of the season. If the power running game returns to its former glory, the team should be okay. However, there should not be a problem with Leftwich, Dixon, or Batch at the controls. More on this as the offseason progresses...