Dejan Kovacevic: Hello again, one and all. Not much to discuss today, huh?
Wow. Away we go ...
Jeremy: Given that Crosby has now been cleared for contact, what do think is a reasonable timetable for his return⢠2-4 weeks perhaps?
Dejan Kovacevic: There are no timetables. Copy that sentence, and re-paste it 100 times. There are no timetables with concussions, Jeremy. It's all a feel thing.
That said, it's obviously an outstanding step, a pivotal one, that he was able to stay symptom-free for a month-plus now and get this clearance. But contact is another step he'll have to pass. He didn't take any this morning even though his helmet matched the rest, so we don't have the first inkling as to how he'll do.
PensFan: Dejan, I seem to remember you saying "when Crosby's cleared for contact, break out your #87 jerseys." Still true⢠Hopefully, we'll see Crosby in a game within a month or will the lack of practices slow that down⢠(all assuming he stays symptom free, which is a big assumption I know)
Dejan Kovacevic: Sure. Again, it's a big step. But there's still no timetable.
Matt_Newport Beach: What do you think of the Kunitz extension⢠Did the Pens not think any of the young wingers could step up and fill his role?
Dejan Kovacevic: For as long as the Penguins carry Crosby and Evgeni Malkin -- and they're hoping that's a very long time -- they're always going to be in a contend-now mode. That's the only right way to handle a team with that much talent at the core.
If Kunitz is the best fit for Crosby over the next couple years, then he's the guy to sign. The two clearly have established a strong chemistry, maybe the best Sid has enjoyed with anyone.
SterlingCooperDraperPrice: Rushel Shell to Pitt as big a lock as the recruiting sites think?
Dejan Kovacevic: It would appear that way. The next report that counters the Shell-to-Pitt sentiment will be the first I've seen.
It would be a very big deal for Pitt and Todd Graham, obviously, but recruiting can be funny. Until the kid opens his mouth and says the word, there are no locks or certainties, as I've heard this situation being described already this morning.
Related note: Think Shell might have been told he'll have a different quarterback in the near future?
Master_Hobi: Pick the game that you believe sid will return to the lineup.
Dejan Kovacevic: (Screams at top of lungs.)
No. And I'm not doing this to be overly cautious or anything else. I'm doing it because, again, concussions do not come with a timetable. They just don't. They're not knee injuries, where you know how long it takes for a ligament to heal. They can change from minute to minute.
Really, let's just take this step as the good news it is.
MPM: I think you've overvalued Paul Maholm in your blog today. How much different is Paul Maholm from Zach Duke, who signed a one year deal with the Diamondbacks for less than $5M⢠Based on the statistics, they're just about the same pitcher.
Dejan Kovacevic: Not if you include durability, which also can -- and should -- be weighed statistically. Maholm has been the National League's most durable left-hander over the past five years. Duke most certainly has not. Durability is a huge factor in making financial commitments to pitchers.
Besides, Maholm, I think we'd all agree, made good strides toward being a lot more consistent in 2011. That always was his biggest issue, and he mostly wiped it out this year.
As for valuing, I'm never going to say that anyone is worth being paid $9.75 million on sheer merit. It's crazy in any walk of life. But the free-agent pitching market would have his price not far below that, I think. I guess we'll find out.
Check the blog for the piece MPM is referencing.
BSteel: DK: I was wondering if any Steelers coaches or players read these chats to feel the pulse of us Steelers fans and to, you know, take advantage of our brilliant observations and suggestions...?
Dejan Kovacevic: I know that there are a lot of Steelers who are rather active readers, though I can't recall having heard of one referencing the chat specifically. One of them was a little displeased with a tweet of mine after the opener, but we had a healthy discussion after that.
SouthSideBucsFan: Tomlin's hang-up on the Jacksonville media: On a scale of 1-10, how overblown is it?
Dejan Kovacevic: Where was it overblown⢠I didn't see it getting overblown. In our newspaper this morning, it was the second note in a Steelers notebook that ran on Page C-14.
If you're asking me if it was a big deal, no, not at all. The way I read the transcript, Tomlin asked if there were any other questions besides the 2007 playoff game. When he didn't hear anything, he said, "Thanks," and hung up.
Anthony: Dejan, with the production of Mendenhall's backups so far this year outshining his own performance, is he at risk of losing his job or at the very last carries over the rest of the year⢠I understand he was injured last week giving Redman and Dwyer a chance to shine but he has done little to nothing to date in comparison to elite running backs around the league of which he is supposed to be included.
Dejan Kovacevic: Apparently, Mendenhall is just fine in Tomlin's eyes. I can't think of any other reason why Mendenhall would be setting up as the starter for Sunday. That mystifies me, especially based on Tomlin's own precedents.
You don't have to have Chuck Noll's eye for football to see that Isaac Redman and Jonathan Dwyer ran with a ton more heart last week than Mendenhall did in any of the first four. In fairness, Mendenhall might have been beaten down by the lousy line play and gotten the pitter-patter feet as a result. But he's paid to find a way to get yards. Redman, in particular, was running as if each carry was his last.
I think Mendenhall is more talented, no matter how much nasty mail it gets me. I'll stand by that. He needs to be on the field. But I don't understand rewarding him with a start Sunday.
guest: The move not to pick up Maholm's option really has me ticked. No he's not the greatest picther but he's an innings eater, received no run support, had a solid ERA, and he's a lefty.
Dejan Kovacevic: And he's only 29, and he'd be delighted to stay in Pittsburgh, and you'd only be locked in for one year, and the Pirates prefer short-term contracts for pitchers, and Neal Huntington said the coming free-agent market is "very, very" shallow and ... hey, like I wrote in the blog today, if you can think of a reason for this move other than the Pirates being cheap, I'm all ears.
I praised management and the front office for stepping up at the trade deadline and at the draft. They deserved it. But they still have this notion that their "internal values" they place on players somehow matter in the overall MLB scheme. They don't. This is what Maholm costs. You don't have anyone better. You'll probably be worse without him in 2011. So why not pay it?
Guest: When Crosby and Jeffrey are back who are the odd men out on the NHL roster?
Dejan Kovacevic: If you mean off the active 18 skaters, that would be, in order, Steve MacIntyre, Mark Letestu and Arron Asham. Just an educated guess.
I went into the season seeing Richard Park as one of those bubble guys. Not after the penalty-killing he's done in the early going.
MarkV: Theo Epstein to the Cubs. A winning move for the Cubs
Dejan Kovacevic: Yeah, though I'm not a Theo theologian, as some are. Fact is, Epstein had ample room to make mistakes in Boston and cover them up with money. He'll have that same luxury in Chicago with a payroll of around $120 million, though he'll obviously have to start by dealing with other people's mistakes such as Alfonso Soriano.
Not a good thing for the Pirates, though. Epstein will be quite the upgrade over Jim Hendry (who could only make good trades with the Pirates, it seemed).
Curt: Will we someday soon see Urban Meyer as head coach of Penn State?
Dejan Kovacevic: It doesn't take much reading between the lines to tell that Joe Paterno has no intention of going anywhere for the foreseeable future. It takes even less to see that Penn State has no one with the stomach to send him on his way. In that environment, I can't imagine that resurrecting Bear Bryant in his prime would make a difference here.
Jim: After seeing the impact Starks had on the O-line play...Why not find room to bring back Flozell?
Dejan Kovacevic: Thought the same thing before the game Sunday, but the fact is they got a pretty good game out of Marcus Gilbert at right tackle. They like Gilbert, and you've got to believe there's a reason for that. (Yeah, I know they also liked Jonathan Scott, but we've seen Gilbert play well for ourselves.)
They have linemen in quantity, and they're of the mind that they mostly just need to get everyone healthy, now focusing on Chris Kemoeatu. It sure helped that Maurkice Pouncey finally showed his Pro Bowl form Sunday.
Ben in Mississippi: What are your thoughts on the Pirates radio move⢠I cannot see how this is good for anyone involved.
Dejan Kovacevic: Why⢠What's the difference⢠You reprogram one button on your radio, and that's it. Wish you'd been clearer on this.
The Pirates' thinking is that they get to be on an all-sports station rather than one that focused almost entirely on politics. That, plus the whole romantic idea of returning to KDKA in some form, plus the money involved, got it done.
To me, it changes nothing. Same play-by-play men, same color commentators, and I'd like to see the same postgame host, David Todd stay on. Does a lively, informative show.
Denis Moscow: sorry for my English, how can you explain that without their two leaders of Pittsburgh wins, such headers are in the internet ⢠They say it is very difficult to return to the previous level after the trauma , Your opinion is interesting . thank you
Dejan Kovacevic: I'm trying hard here, Denis, so forgive me if I mangle this on my end: I assume you're asking how the Penguins are competing without their top two players. You can find my views on that in detail in my Wednesday column .
DB: what is the status of Geno for tonight?
Dejan Kovacevic: Skated this morning, but game-time decision. Even if he doesn't go, he'll be out there with Alexander Ovechkin for the pregame Yaroslavl tribute.
Jeff King: I contend that the Pirates are purposely back loading contracts with a lot of money knowing full well that were not intending to pick up the options.
Dejan Kovacevic: Options don't usually get picked up by anybody in baseball, so that's not the best barometer for whether or not the Pirates spend. Simplest way to do that is year-to-year 40-man roster payroll, meaning money actually paid out. That gets released in December.
Ian: Dejan, Thanks for doing the chat. I've been reading about how good the Steelers defense is against the pass this year. I know that they haven't faced an elite QB yet, but can you speak about Carnell Lake and if you feel he is improving the secondary. If so, How much better can they get with the talent they have?
Dejan Kovacevic: Whether the Steelers have been facing Curtis Painter or Matt Schaub, the most striking thing to me about the secondary is that they've pulled off quality coverage despite getting very little help up front from the pass rush. That's generally not easy to do.
Most of this just has to do with Ike Taylor being really, really good. But William Gay and Keenan Lewis have been solid, as well as the safeties.
In fact, the corners have been good enough that you look on the video and see Troy Polamalu lining up at all kinds of places right up front against Tennessee. In watching the game again last night, I saw Troy lining up almost as a defensive end, everything but the three-point stance.
Couple more today ...
JD: When you look at Pitt home games and see half the stadium unfilled, do you think it is somewhat delusional to think that Pitt can be/remain a major football program⢠I simply do not see much excitement or loyalty within the fan base.
Dejan Kovacevic: It's never going to be easy for Pitt to compete against three professional sports teams in the same city, but I'm willing to wait for that kind of judgment until after we see if the city and the students respond to a genuine contender.
Yeah, I know Walt Harris and Dave Wannstedt both had some good teams, but I'm talking about one that is genuinely capable of capturing the casual sports fan, as Jamie Dixon's basketball program has done.
Joey Bats: Dejan.....do the Pirates do a deal with Andrew Cutch this off season?
I don't see that happening.
Jim: How is it that the old cronies of Hockey cant see that the game has changed since they played...The players are bigger, faster stonger. Equipment is bigger and harder. Hence hits to the head are more lethal. Outlaw headshots. I want to see the best players on the ice.
Dejan Kovacevic: They can see it. They just don't like it. All you need to know about the old hockey guard is to look not at Don Cherry but at the way Canadians fairly worship this guy. It's a bizarre thing.
Pburgh Guy: DK: Playing devil's advocate here, one reason the Pirates should walk away from Maholm if he does not meet their internal value is that those funds can be applied elsewhere in the organization. We may be sick of hearing it, but investing in talent recruitment and development are still higher priorities than an increased MLB payroll. They will lose 90+ next year with or without Maholm.
Dejan Kovacevic: Spending on major-league payroll and the amateur levels are two different things. The Pirates say so themselves. If they take away major-league payroll in one area, it doesn't go to the draft or Latin America.
As for your last sentence ... I've always bristled at that kind of thinking, the dumping of Ralph Kiner because the Pirates could finish last without him. You can insert Andrew McCutchen's name in that sentence and it makes just as much sense.
At some point, there has to be tangible progress where it counts.
Groat2Maz2Strangeglove: Crosby cleared for contact today. He reaches the final rung on the ladder that leads him back to playing after injury. I still see this as similar to Tommy John surgery, with Crosby actually back sooner. The Pirates getting to 1st Place after 95 games, and still being in First after 100 games is a bigger, more unbelievable story! Why do you not think so?
Dejan Kovacevic: If you're asking about my blog comment that Crosby will end up being the No. 1 story of 2011, over the Pirates being in first place, and even over the Steelers reaching the Super Bowl -- and I'll assume you are -- my logic has as much to do with Crosby's largely unquestioned status as the best player in his sport and the dramatic uncertainty of his injury, as well as the fact that the Pirates completely sullied their own season by collapsing, and the Steelers lost in Dallas.
I don't see this as even being close, really, assuming Crosby makes it all the way back.
Thanks to all for participating. My columns run in the Trib on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The blog never stops walking, like the Gus character on "Breaking Bad." And this chat is here every Thursday at noon.
