It’s a particularly opinionated day …

Jim Tracy mentioned at his introductory news conference Tuesday that he wants to model his Pirates after the St. Louis Cardinals. Nice thought, but unless the Pirates pump their payroll by about $50 million, Tracy will need another model. The vibe in the Steelers’ locker room Wednesday told me it’s going to take five Casey Hamptons to keep Ben Roethlisberger from playing Sunday against Jacksonville. If Roethlisberger practices Friday, he’s in. Roethlisberger will practice Friday. Did you see Hampton push Chargers center Nick Hardwick back into Drew Brees in the first quarter Monday, forcing Brees to stumble in the backfield• The Steelers’ nose tackle has become a force again. Seems to me the Pirates would have been wise to hire Altoona pitching coach Jeff Andrews as their pitching coach. Andrews, 45, has paid his dues as a minor-league coach and has nurtured several of the Pirates’ top pitching prospects, including Zach Duke, Paul Maholm, Tom Gorzelanny, Ian Snell and John Grabow. The kids swear by him — many continued to rely on Andrews even after they were promoted from Altoona — and some were planning to have their agents call Pirates GM Dave Littlefield to make a plea on Andrews’ behalf. There’s still an opening for bullpen coach. The Pirates could do far worse than to hire Andrews. SI.com yesterday posted its top 10 NFL rushing tandems of all-time. Larry Csonka and Jim Kiick were first, followed by Jim Taylor and Paul Hornung. You’ll never guess who was third. Kevin Mack and Ernest Byner. No kiddin’. Sidney Crosby already is the Penguins’ best player. Now that the Pirates have promised to somewhat increase their payroll next season, maybe they can find room in their budget for an advance scout. They have a mental health coach, but not an advance scout. ABC ran a fascinating stat Monday night, one that said a lot about Roethlisberger’s guts and mobility. The average passer rating in the league last season – 82.8 – went down to 52.9 when a quarterback was hit “before or during the act of passing.” Roethlisberger’s rating in those instances actually went up – from 98.1 to 108.4. He didn’t do anything to reverse the trend Monday, even completing a 9-yard pass on the play where Luis Castillo crashed into his knee. The Pirates deserve credit for moving toward a long-term contract with Jason Bay, for moving away from Jose Mesa as a closer and for not raising ticket prices for the fourth consecutive year, even when the lure of the 2006 All-Star Game gave them a good excuse to do just that. Seeing as his $83 million Los Angeles Dodgers flopped this season — largely because of injuries — Tracy might have forgotten that money, for the most part, equals success in Major League Baseball. Marc-Andre Fleury is the Penguins’ best goaltender. Anybody still disappointed the Steelers took a tight end in the first round• Heath Miller will catch at least 10 touchdown passes this season.

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