http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/columnists/ Sports columnist Ron Cook en-us Copyright 2012, post-gazette.com. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 13:09:55 -0500 15 http://www.post-gazette.com/includes/2007design/images/150x30pg_now_logo.gif http://www.post-gazette.com/ 144 39 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12032/1207296-87-0.stm?cmpid=cook.xml In a conference room Tuesday night high above the Consol Energy Center ice, Penguins general manager Ray Shero and upbeat superstar Sidney Crosby spoke hopefully about the future but stopped well short of predicting when it might arrive. At the same time, the other Penguins players prepared to play the Toronto Maple Leafs in the here and now. It was business as usual for them. Wed, 1 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12031/1207130-87-0.stm?cmpid=cook.xml Pitt coach Jamie Dixon knew his team won Monday night, knew it beat West Virginia, 72-66, at the WVU Coliseum for its third consecutive win. That was all he needed for a wonderful bus ride home up Interstate 79. Tue, 31 Jan 2012 05:22:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12030/1206889-87-0.stm?cmpid=cook.xml Two days to go. Two days and January finally is over. Two days and maybe the Steelers can get back to some sense of normalcy after enduring one of their roughest months in a long time. Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12029/1206802-87-0.stm?cmpid=cook.xml The Pitt basketball practices, going back to coach Ben Howland and continued by Jamie Dixon, are legendary for their toughness, the sheer brutality of the competition so intense that it makes the Big East Conference games seem easy by comparison. Sun, 29 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12026/1206109-87-0.stm?cmpid=cook.xml When Steelers defensive end Brett Keisel gets the biggest cheer at a Pitt home basketball game against a Big East Conference opponent in a football season when the Steelers get Tebowed by the Denver Broncos in one of the worst playoff losses in franchise history, you know it's not a typical night at Petersen Events Center. I mean, really. Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12024/1205574-87.stm?cmpid=cook.xml I'm not the brightest guy in the world, but I know cause-and-effect when I see it. Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik had harsh words for his teammates Jan. 7 after their 3-1 home loss to the New Jersey Devils, calling them out publicly for their lack of "accountability" and their unwillingness to fight through adversity. Soon after, the team started playing better. Cause-and-effect. Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12023/1205422-87-0.stm?cmpid=cook.xml This goes back to late-November 2007, only days before Penn State coach Joe Paterno's enshrinement in the College Football Hall of Fame. During a revealing 90-minute session with journalists, he was asked how he would like to go out. He did not hesitate. Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:09:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12022/1205205-87-0.stm?cmpid=cook.xml One day, he is forced to leave Pitt prematurely because of the never-ending coaching changes, from Dave Wannstedt to Michael Haywood to Todd Graham. The next day, he pulls up lame running a 40-yard sprint, unable to strut his stuff at the NFL scouting combine meat market. The day after, he is undrafted, unwanted and unsure of his football future because of the NFL lockout. Sun, 22 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12020/1204705-87-0.stm?cmpid=cook.xml Seems like everyone is saying the Steelers need to spend more time and money on constructing a better offensive line. The team has invested $102 million in quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Doesn't it need to do a better job keeping him healthy? Well, here are two more questions: Isn't it important to keep Roethlisberger happy? Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12017/1204026-87-0.stm?cmpid=cook.xml Monday started horribly for Pitt coach Jamie Dixon. Khem Birch, the highest-rated recruit of the Dixon era who quit the team Dec. 16, went on 93.7 The Fan and blasted the coach and the program. Birch said he had no real relationship with Dixon and most of his teammates and that Pitt wasn't the "right fit" for him. Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12016/1203789-87-0.stm?cmpid=cook.xml Is it just me or do way too many people believe Joe Paterno is a victim? His wife, Sue, who says he "deserved better" after 61 years of loyal service to Penn State. The many folks who wasted Penn State president Rodney Erickson's time last week at three town hall-style meetings by screaming at the injustice of Paterno's firing. The countless thousands of "We Are ... Penn Staters!" Mon, 16 Jan 2012 01:32:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12015/1203663-87-0.stm?cmpid=cook.xml Blame the Steelers. That's what Sidney Crosby did Friday afternoon. Meeting with the media for the first time since Dec. 12. Sun, 15 Jan 2012 09:11:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12011/1202691-87-0.stm?cmpid=cook.xml The company line coming from the Penguins' room Tuesday night was surprisingly upbeat. It sure seemed as if coach Dan Bylsma told the players to keep things positive despite the ugly 5-1 home loss to the Ottawa Senators, the team's fifth consecutive defeat. The players talked of liking their effort but hating their execution in key spots. They came across as lying through their teeth. Wed, 11 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12010/1202472-87-0.stm?cmpid=cook.xml I long have maintained a lot of fans take losses harder than the players. The fans replay the game for months and never really get over it. The players realize it's a business, set it aside quickly and get on with their lives. The Steelers lost an AFC wild-card game Sunday to the Denver Broncos, 29-23, in overtime. It was a crushing defeat by any measure. Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12009/1202347-87-0.stm?cmpid=cook.xml One by one, Steelers front-office people, coaches and players stopped by to console cornerback Ike Taylor. Defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau was first. Owner Dan Rooney and general manager Kevin Colbert. Players Ryan Clark, Casey Hampton and Keenan Lewis. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was the last. He practically lifted Taylor out of his chair and hugged him. Mon, 9 Jan 2012 08:13:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12008/1202106-87-0.stm?cmpid=cook.xml Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger says offensive coordinator Bruce Arians is like "a grandfather." Arians prefers "crazy uncle." The two are extremely close. Know that going in. "He's a first-ballot Hall of Famer in my mind," Arians said of Roethlisberger. "He's won two Super Bowls and been to a third. He's not done with Super Bowls, I believe." Sun, 8 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12006/1201665-87-0.stm?cmpid=cook.xml The news broke in mid-October. Aaron Smith needed neck surgery and was going on injured reserve. The career of the greatest 3-4 defensive end in Steelers history almost certainly was over. "We're all on deck," linebacker James Farrior said that day, one of the saddest of the season for all the players, who adore Smith as a teammate and a man. Fri, 6 Jan 2012 07:04:00 -0500