I hate revisionism. The play of Sam Young and now Keith Benjamin have people second-guessing their usage in 2006-07.

Q: In light of the current play by last year’s bench players, doesn’t it make you wonder what could have been if coach Dixon would have let these guys (Benjamin & Young) play more last year? The outside game they bring is exactly what we were missing in the NCAA tournament. I think he had more loyalty to Levon Kendall than he to developing the younger players.

Mike Nixon, Libertyville, Ill.

FITTIPALDO: You might have a point, Mike, but you have to remember that Young was not completely healthy last season. He had problems with both knees that prevented him from being the player he is now. If Young had been healthy all season, I believe he would have received more playing time.

Benjamin is someone who is thriving with more playing time. This is the first time he has ever been in position to play 30-plus minutes per game. I guess you can say Benjamin deserved more minutes last season, but at whose expense? Ramon? Graves? They both played vital roles on a team that advanced to the Sweet 16.

Dixon is going to have an interesting dilemma on his hands when Fields is healthy enough to return to the lineup. Does he send Benjamin back to the bench? Or does he have Fields come off the bench? I suppose these types of problems are nice to have. It means you have players who are playing well and deserving of playing time.

For whatever reason, the other obvious possibility is having Ramon coming off the bench. As he was before the injuries. Several other points.

Even while Young was struggling to get healthy, Pitt was trying to get him more time. The early 2006 experiment was to play Young at the small forward. That would have gotten him on the court more as spelling both Kendall at PF and Cook at SF. We now know he was hobbling, but he wasn’t comfortable at the small forward. Struggling, especially, on the defensive end. Ultimately, if he wants to make the NBA, he has to look to that position. With his range showing this year, he has a chance.

Prior to this season, Bejamin never showed the shooting touch, patience, or restraint. He also struggled in defensive assignments, because he was more eager to work the offensive end. I know the contra argument is that he was only getting limited minutes, and was looking to make them count and show what he could do. The problem with that, is it only got him yanked faster when he’d rush down the court and hoist a shot. It finally seemed to get through to him this year. Even before he got into the starting line-up with injuries, he was just playing within the team. So much better.

Finally, both Young and Benjamin are better and like playing much more up-tempo. The team’s configuration last year with Aaron Gray just wouldn’t work that way. In that respect, Levon Kendall was a much better compliment inside.

Look at the numbers last year. Young shot .458 from the field and .310 on 3s. I know, I howled “NO!” when Young hoisted from outside last year. Benjamin was even more brutal — .420 from the field and .255 on 3s, not to mention below 50% on free throws.

Keep perspective.

There was the story from Joe Starkey on Brian Davis. Essentially about what was and might of been.

What happened at Pitt?

“Basically, I stopped going to class,” Davis said. “Can’t blame anyone but myself. I’m not the only one who’s ever done that, won’t be the last, but I can’t blame anyone but myself.”

Davis believes he erred in staying too close to home. He put too much time into entertaining his homeboys from Washington and too little into taking care of business at Pitt.

Davis, though, is content with his life and has one.

Not so for Todd Becker.

Becker made waves as a true freshman on special teams for Pitt, a top-10 program at the time, and was named special teams captain as a sophomore. But on Dec. 16, 1982 — the day before the team was set to fly to Fort Worth for the game — his life came to a tragic end.

At the time, Becker had been banned from a dormitory for several minor infractions, most notably squirting a fire extinguisher. He snuck into the building to attend a party thrown by several of his teammates, but when authorities were called, he fled for fear that he wouldn’t be able to play in the bowl if he were caught.

Becker ultimately fell to his death from a third-story window. He was 20 years old.

The program hasn’t been the same since, enduring just 12 winning seasons in the ensuing 25 years. Pitt lost that year to SMU, reached another New Year’s Day bowl in ’83, but didn’t return until 2004 — and even then, was highly overmatched.

Something that has more to do with coaches, recruiting and players since then; but it makes an interesting time mark.

I’m calm, I’m collected. How that office chair went through that window, I have no idea.

I haven’t been drinking to a stupor — though I thought about it — nor did I break my computer in response to the news. I have been trying to do a lot of things in the real world, so I can be clear for the trip to Morgantown. Never even got onto the computer to this point. I had left a message for one of my friends who was going to the game as well early in the afternoon. About an hour later he called me back while I was on my way to take my kid to a check-up at the doctor. That’s how I had the news broken to me that Pederson was rehired as AD. After that he broke the news to me about the Wannstedt extension.

Wow. Way to completely take the little bit of excitement and energy I had for the Backyard Brawl and crush it. Neither of us were joking when we both brought up the idea of bailing on the game completely. If not for the fact that someone else went to the effort of getting the tix in the first place, we probably would have.

This is what I said back in October after Pederson was dumped by Nebraska and there was some speculation that maybe Pitt might contact him.

Pitt and sequels just don’t work. This is not about wanting a Pitt guy/gal as the AD — I don’t particularly care. I want the best person for the job. Not someone the Chancellor already knows and may be comfortable with dealing.Pederson did a lot of good and some bad while at Pitt. He wasn’t the god/savior some make him seem for dragging the primary teams in the athletic department into the modern era, improving the facilities and finally getting a new basketball facility constructed. Nor was he the devil for changing the colors, logo and name and tearing down Pitt Stadium. For the most part he was a good athletic director who provided and acted in a way that helped Pitt. That doesn’t mean he should be brought back now that his alma mater has said “buh-bye.”

I’m sure there will be a column in the next day or two suggesting that it would be a good idea to bring back Pederson. That he would provide the energy to the athletic department and will make the hard choices, etc.

Feh. That’s just code for dealing with the only major public concern regarding the athletic department. Right now the issue is about the football program and its direction. Does the baseball program need shaken up? How about the men’s or women’s basketball? No. I don’t think so.

The athletic department could probably benefit overall from someone aggressive and with personality. It doesn’t, however, need the overhaul and makeover as before. Things have changed.

Bringing back Pederson would be taking the easy way, rather than being serious about looking for a new AD. It would also be one more sign that the athletic department is being run via proxy by Chancellor Nordenberg.

[Emphasis added.] And of course, there was the obligatory column from Ron Cook.

With the almost immediate decision that Wannstedt would get a 2-year extension, that would ostensibly take him into 2012 season. That this is happening means that we know who is really running the athletic department and that no Athletic Director hired would have had a say in the decision.

Hell, the press release announcing the re-hire of Pederson practically made it explicit the relationship.

Together they orchestrated a major revitalization of Pitt athletics that resulted in nationally ranked programs and state-of-the-art facilities. Today, that team was reformed as University of Pittsburgh Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg announced the return of Steve Pederson as Pitt’s athletic director.

I have no animosity to Pederson, on a personal level. Don’t know the guy. I just don’t like trying to do sequels. It reeks of Pitt not seriously looking for the best candidate for Athletic Director. It’s about the guy the Chancellor likes. It means that Pitt never conducted much of a search. That the search committee got used.

I’m guessing the next news will be a new contract for DC Paul Rhoads.

And I’m talking about myself.

I’m going to Morgantown.

Yes, Pitt is 4-7 and WVU is 10-1, and the game has opened with Pitt as a 28 to 28.5 underdog.

Yes in WVU’s last game they whupped up on UConn 66-21. A UConn team that humiliated Pitt 34-14.

Yes history isn’t helpful either. Pitt hasn’t beaten West Virginia under Coach Wannstedt, lost by a combined 90-40 in those two contests, last won in Morgantown in 2001 and is 2-5 in Morgantown in the last 7 games.

I have no sane reason to go. I have little hope of actually expecting a win in this game. Most likely it will be cold and potentially wet.
Nonetheless, I’m going.

I’m going because there is a chance to see history.

-100th Backyard Brawl (Pitt still holds a 59-37-3 advantage despite an 8-15-2 record over the past 25 games).
-WVU is either going to play for the national championship or have their dreams destroyed by a huge underdog that happens to be their most hated rival. I have the opportunity, so why not be there.
-Morgantown potentially burning in an orgy of couch fires and a series of meth lab explosions around and outside of the city with either result.
-A game that will have a huge impact on the pressure/confidence in Coach Wannstedt from the fans going into 2008.
Finally, and most importantly I’m going because 10 years ago I went down to Morgantown with a group of friends on something of a whim, and had my interest and love of Pitt restored.

The previous 5 years had me completely out of touch with Pitt athletics. I had left the area and the team sucked so there was very little news about the team making it outside of the Pittsburgh area. Especially in those pre-internet days.

I had been paying a little closer attention that season after moving to Youngstown. I watched and enjoyed the Pitt upset of Miami that Thursday night in some generic sports bar in Boardman after begging a bartender to give me one TV for that rather than the Pirates game.
I went down with friends, mainly to get drunk and have some fun.  We accomplished the drunk part — and then some.

[Brief aside. The original plan for the group was to grab a couple hotel rooms in town and go out in Morgantown -- just for the hell of it. Somewhere in the course of the game we just decided that it would be best to go back to the 'Burgh and not waste money in Morgantown. Then, as we had to wait for traffic to thin and for one of our group to reach the point where he was no longer going to be puke risk in the car, it became just go out for a couple beers near the apartment we were all crashing. By the time we got back and the emotional and physical drain in full effect it just became have a beer in the apartment, watch the highlights on TV a few times and crash. That was 10 years ago. It's only gotten worse with time.]
What also happened was seeing the greatest game I ever attended. A triple-OT 41-38 win. Certainly the most enjoyable.
It completely brought the joy and hope back in that one game. I committed that night to season tickets with one friend who’s loyalty and attendance never waivered in all his years. Been holding since.

I guess, I’m hoping that there might be a chance to have a little faith restored.

The All-Pitt team discussion with Paul Zeise continues with the topic of coaching staff.

In his Big East notes column (Insider subs.), Joe Starkey writes of Pitt’s need to work on improving the pass offense in the bye week to help open things up for LeSean McCoy. Then turns to the defense.

Redshirt freshman defensive end Greg Romeus has begun to make a large impact. The 6-foot-5, 250-pound Romeus killed Syracuse’s final drive with a sack Saturday, a week after making several big plays against Louisville. … Middle linebacker Scott McKillop leads the Big East and is fourth nationally averaging 12 tackles per game. … Pitt’s defense has improved from 87th in the country last season (363 yards per game) to 17th (313.1).

Cynical response. Don’t worry, there’s still time.

Don’t worry, though, Pitt apparently did another outstanding job of preserving redshirts.

Pittsburgh had an opportunity to redshirt 17 freshmen this fall, while Pat Bostick, LeSean McCoy, JaBbaal Sheard, Dom DeCicco and Maurice Williams all had playing time as first-year players. Wideout Aaron Smith, cornerback Buddy Jackson, fullback Henry Hynoski, cornerback Sherrod Murdock, linebacker Brandon Lindsey, running back Greg Williams, running back Shariff Harris, linebacker Max Gruder, offensive lineman Greg Gaskins, defensive lineman Wayne Jones, offensive lineman Jordan Gibbs, offensive lineman John Fieger, wideout Aundre Wright, defensive end Tony Tucker, defensive tackle Myles Caragein and defensive end Justin Hargrove.

…

Two other freshmen, offensive linemen Dan Matha and Chris (Lumpy) Jacobson, had season-ending injuries in training camp and were redshirted. Sophomore tailback Kevin Collier (broken wrist), sophomore offensive tackle Jason Pinkston (shoulder), senior wideout Derek Kinder (knee), junior defensive tackle Gus Mustakas (knee) and junior quarterback Bill Stull (thumb) needed surgery and were fortunate to have redshirts available. Elijah Fields played sparingly as a freshman in 2006 and was redshirted this season while under suspension for disciplinary reasons.

Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt believed there were a handful of freshmen that he wanted to get some playing experience this season, but in the end he decided to hold them out for a redshirt.

Anyhow. I think it is taken as almost a given that Pitt doesn’t just have to, but will recruit at least one JUCO offensive lineman. Jeff Otah has worked out well and gets a nice puff piece from his home state Delaware paper.

“Coming from a small state like Delaware, you’re never sure how you’re going to match up against guys from the biggest schools and bigger states,” he said. “And with my background and inexperience, I really didn’t know what to expect.”

Now, he does. Otah is a starting left tackle at the University of Pittsburgh, and the 6-foot-6, 340-pounder is a legitimate NFL prospect who’s certain to be drafted next April.

Not bad for a guy who didn’t even play football as a junior at William Penn and then, because of a broken hand, played in just three games as a senior on defense

This article actually ranks him as the #2 OT for the 2008 draft.

2. Jeff Otah, Pittsburgh: Big, athletic and explosive. Is a bit on the raw side because he played only one year in high school and then went to a junior college. Might have more long-term potential than Long, but isn’t as NFL ready.

Mel Kiper, Jr. has him as 14th among senior OTs.

On the recruiting front, there’s this.

But Norwin’s Mike Shanahan and Central Catholic’s Tino Sunseri also have college recruiting on their minds a lot these days.

The college situations for Shanahan and Sunseri have changed drastically in recent weeks. Shanahan, a 6-foot-5, 200-pound senior receiver/defensive back, decided this summer he wanted to play basketball in college, turning down football scholarship offers from West Virginia, Stanford, Georgia Tech and a few others.

But Shanahan has changed his mind and now thinks he might want to play football in college. Pitt offered him a scholarship a few weeks ago. West Virginia also is recruiting him again for football.

Meanwhile, Sunseri, a 6-1, 200-pound quarterback, made a verbal commitment in the spring to the University of Louisville. But he also had a change of heart in the past few weeks and reopened his recruiting. Pitt and Boston College recently offered scholarships to Sunseri, and he plans to make an official visit to Boston College.

We’ll see.

The advantage and curse of doing this blog for quite some time is that everything is archived and there to be looked at (and used against me). Right now, fan sentiment is split on Wannstedt. Honestly, that’s where I am. Split on the coach. Not sure how I feel about him in the long-term; but sure that he will be here through next year. I thought it might be useful to look back at the month of December, 2004 to review what happened at that point.

Obviously, it began with Walt Harris being pushed out the door with no extension and an offer from Stanford. Arguably this was coming after the disappointing 2003 season and the implosion of the 2004 recruiting class — even if in hindsight Pitt may have dodged a lot of disappointments. I was not sure about the whole thing.

I’ve gone back and forth on this all season. I’ve passionately wanted Harris’ tenure ended, I’ve defended him and felt he earned a new extension, I’ve sadly concluded it to be best he leave, I’ve reluctantly announced he wasn’t taking Pitt in the right direction long term. That was all in this season.

…

I guess the issue of whether Harris should have stayed or been released, for me, came down to, “do I trust the administration to hire someone better?” That’s probably why I decided to hope Pitt retained Harris.

Names were immediately bandied about: Rhoads, Wannstedt, Russ Grimm, Bo Pelini, Sal Sunseri, Bob Davie, Tom Clements, Tom Bradley and Rick Neuheisel. I wanted Pitt to look to the MAC coaches like Hoeppner, Novak or Amstutz.

J.D. Brookhart never was given serious consideration. Wannstedt was always the top choice by Pitt. Matt Cavanaugh’s name surfaced right after Wannstedt first pulled his name, and Rhoads got one of the first interviews. Rhoads became an early favorite after it became obvious that Pitt wasn’t serious about a lot of names — Sunseri was given a token interview and they never even made contact with Tom Clements or Tom Bradley.

There was a lot of polite interviews given to former Pitt players turned coaches like Tim Lewis and Cavanaugh. Along with finally interviewing Pelini. Briefly becoming the rumored front runner. Much of the discussion of who Pitt should look to hire post-Harris focused on recruiting acumen. An interesting little excerpt from that time:

The lifeblood of a football program, of course, is recruiting. Chuck Finder writes a sure-to-infuriate-the-locals piece arguing that Western PA isn’t what it used to be in terms of quantity of top recruits. He points out the demographics have been shrinking in the region. (Something I think Lee has pointed out before). He’s not arguing that the well is dry. He is just saying that the talent level, locally is not what it was in the ’70s and early ’80s. It’s a fair point, but one I’m sure many people in Pittsburgh will not want to hear.

The Trib’s recruiting guy, Kevin Gorman, though argues that the next Pitt coach has to focus very, very hard on the WPIAL kids. He points to the kids that have been flowing to the Big 11. I agree that Pitt really, really needs to improve the local recruiting. Gorman, though, seems a little too close to the subject. He covers the recruiting in the region, he knows all the kids and the coaches. So, it seems he is overstating the overall talent level. In some points, he seems to suggest recruiting a couple kids, just to win points with their high school coaches for the future.

Of course, last month Chris Dokish made a point about the talent level in the WPIAL not being the end-all-be-all.

One other guy, Pitt may have interviewed — Miami DC Randy Shannon.

Cavanaugh started picking up momentum as Pelini lost momentum. I started becoming convinced then and remain to this point of the belief that Pelini will be a very good head coach some day but is an absolutely lousy interview — and that has cost him opportunities to this point. Including the Syracuse gig.

More disturbing Paul Rhoads seemed to be the co-leader (and Smizik had a column that I had to admit was worth reading and that I agreed). In fact, just as it appeared that Rhoads would be the guy to get the gig, Wannstedt’s name re-emerged. It also came out how little Pitt was willing to pay assistants until it came to getting Wannstedt.

One of the other sticking points last week according to a source was that the university was reluctant to meet Wannstedt’s demands for salaries for his assistant coaches. He reportedly had asked for no assistant to be paid less than $100,000, and he wanted between $250,000-$300,000 for his coordinators.

The majority of the current staff makes less than $100,000 — with a low of about $65,000 — with the exception of defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads, who got a significant raise following the 2002 season because he nearly took a similar job at Auburn. He makes approximately $250,000 a year.

Over the years, retaining staff has been an issue because the university has not paid the assistant coaches the equivalent of many other Bowl Championship Series conference schools.

Of course, as we’ve learned 3 years later, you still have to make good hires with the assistants.

When Wanny finally agreed I was relieved because that meant Paul Rhoads didn’t get the job and I didn’t have to give up my season tickets in protest.

As for now, Pitt won’t be firing Wannstedt this year. There is no Athletic Director. Wannstedt is close with Chancellor Nordenberg who pulls the strings on this.

There was a lot of sentiment that Pitt needed to hire a Pitt guy. It’s a strangely (at least to me) common theme when there is a job opening for Pitt. Hire a Pitt guy or someone from the area. Fear the possibility of stepping stone coaches or something else.

In hindsight, I think the sentiment to find someone with ties was overwhelming and perhaps even necessary after everything else that had happened before.

No Pitt game today. The present is bleak. The future nebulous. Time to take not of past Pitt greats.

As most are aware, Curtis Martin will be honored by Pitt at the Navy game on Wednesday.

Also attending the game will be two former teammates who will be rooting for different teams that night.

Navy’s last win over Pitt came in 1985 during the senior season of tailback Napoleon McCallum, a two-time honorable mention All-American who would play in the National Football League.

Navy and Pitt were once regular opponents, playing 19 consecutive games between 1961-1979 and seven straight times from 1983-89. The Panthers hold a 20-13-3 lead in the series, which dates back to 1912.

Two of the finest players to participate in the rivalry - former Pittsburgh tailback Tony Dorsett and ex-Navy quarterback Roger Staubach - will be in attendance at Heinz Field on Wednesday. Dorsett and Staubach were longtime teammates with the Dallas Cowboys, playing in two Super Bowls together.

The article added another tidbit that made me go, “What, 1, 2, 3, 4… crap.”

However, the once-proud program has never been quite the same since head coach Jackie Sherrill left after leading Pitt to an 11-1 record and Sugar Bowl victory in 1981. Longtime assistant Serafino “Foge” Fazio took over and mediocrity soon set in. The Panthers have suffered 14 losing or non-winning seasons since and gone through six head coaches.

Urp.

Chas mentioned that Pitt released the 2007 football media guide for download — so I read it from electronic cover-to-cover. Things that I liked/caught my eye/were interesting/etc…

Page 6, “This Is Panther Football” –

Dave Wannstedt and Stillers’ coach Mike Tomlin posed for a picture together. There was talk that Wanny only took the Pitt job as a way to eventually get the Steelers job. Oh, the irony.

Page 6, “This Is Panther Football” –

We were in a staff meeting and I’m sitting at the far end of the table — it was the ‘76 year, the year we (Pitt) won the National Championship — and I think my job that day was to make the coffee. I’m looking at Coach (John) Majors and said to myself, “Someday, I will be the head coach at the University of Pittsburgh.” -Dave Wannstedt

Page 7, “This Is Panther Football” –

I believe I can make a difference on the football field, but just as important, I believe I can make a difference at the university and in the community. I think all those things are vital and all those things are very important.

I hardly believe any college football player would say this without having it written down for him.

Page 8, “This Is Panthers Football” –

With 49 consensus All-Americans, Pitt is 7th among Division 1-A programs. And Penn State fans tell us we have no history.

Page 9, “This Is Panthers Football” –

The outfit Tony Dorsett wore to accept his Heisman Trophy was spectacular. Must have been a ’70’s thing, I guess?

Page 10, “This Is Panthers Football” —

On a page subtitled “Championship Caliber Staff” lies a picture of Paul Rhoads.

Page 13, “This Is Panthers Football” —

A collage of Pitt players in the NFL including Kevan Barlow in his Steelers practice uni. There’s some doubt as to whether he’ll even make the team.

Page 15, “This Is Panthers Football” —

Tyler Palko makes two appearances on the “Pitt Is So Great Because We’re Community Minded” page. Seriously though, Palko is known to be a great guy and his love and care for a friend with Down Syndrome are well documented.

Page 17, “This Is Panthers Football” —

The point in having a page about the Petersen Events Center is what…? I don’t seem to be able to recall the last time I saw a Pitt football game played at the Pete.

Page 20, “This Is Panthers Football” —

The player’s lounge in the Pitt locker room at the UPMC Center looks like a pretty nice place, yeah?

Page 22, “This Is Panthers Football” —

The U of Pitt was founded in a log cabin back in 1787. Our school was founded in a log cabin and I’m damn proud of it.

Page 23, “This Is Panthers Football” —

While Pittsburgh used to be called Steel Town, they need to call it Knowledge Town. -President Bush

That President of ours, always good for some comedic relief.

Page 26, “This Is Panthers Football” —

On a personal note, I almost got my own picture in the media guide (sort of). At College Basketball Gameday back in January I was in the front row, dead center…but in the picture they used, a giant flag is being waved and blocking me from view. Grrr…

Page 41, “2007 Preview” –

The title page of the section about the upcoming season features the picture above. Offensive lineman Jeff Otah blocking…his own teammate?

Page 42, “2007 Preview” –

The QB section notes that Tyler Palko took all of the meaningful snaps of the past three years and I become more and more unsure about the 2007 season.

Page 46, “Preseason Depth Chart” –

The preseason depth chart they have does not include the incoming recruiting class so it’s not really what we’re looking for.

Page 48, “Preseason Honors” –

I never knew that there were s many preseason awards and lists out there. It seems like every player on the Pitt roster is listed with some sort of award they could receive.

Page 64, “Coach Profiles” –

Fact you didn’t know: Chris LaSala, assistant AD and director of football operations, is a graduate of West Virginia.

Page 69, “Coaching Staff” –

Yet another fact you didn’t know: There is such an award called the “Big East Video Coordinator of the Year.” Our video guy, Chad Bogard, is a two time recipient of the award.

Page 73, “Player Profiles: Chris Bova” –

While scanning the profiles I came across the word matriculating. If you know what that means without looking it up then I’m impressed.

Page 92, “Player Profiles: Austin Ransom” –

I think Austin Ransom wins the award for the best hair on the team.

Looks like a certain Simpson’s character.

Page 99, “Player Profiles: Oderick Turner” –

In high school, Turner was the NJ state high jump champion. Jumping over a height of 6-4, he can clear me by 2 inches.

Page 107, “2007 Rosters” –

The pronunciation guide clears up a debate I had with someone last year about how to say Jovani Chappel’s last name. For the record, it’s “sha-PELL”.

Page 113-130, “2006 Season in Review” –

This whole section is just stats from a disappointing year and is pretty dull in general.

Page 134, “Team Records” –

All kinds of fun info in this section and especially on this page.

Longest play from scrimmage in team history: 91 yards (George McLaren in 1917 and Alex Van Pelt in 1992)

In 1914 we beat Dickinson by a score of 96-0. More recently, we pounded Rutgers 76-0, back in 1977. On the other hand, the biggest margin of defeat came in a 72-0 loss to Ohio State back in 1996.

Page 135, “The Last Time…” –

The last time we had a punt return for a TD is Revis’ against WVU. I don’t think we’ll be forgetting that one anytime soon.

Page 131-164, “Team Record Book” –

The above two items were just a small sample from what I think is the best section of the guide. If you’re going to read one section, this is the one.

Page 166, “Pro Football” –

The guide lists 23 Panthers on NFL teams, however it was done before Curtis Martin retired so the actual number is 22. The most former Panthers on one team is three: Larry Fitzgerald, Greg Lee, and Gerald Hayes of the Arizona Cardinals. The Jets (Darrelle Revis, Hank Poteat) and the Saints (Tyler Palko, Rob Petitti) are the only other teams with more than one former Pitt player.

Page 183, “Postseason Games” –

They have picture of Palko from last year’s Senior Bowl…but not one of the ones with him in a script Pitt helmet.

Inside back cover —

Forget the words, I just really like the actual photo they used.

So there it is, (most) of the good stuff to see in this year’s football media guide. The season is just around the corner.

If you have Comcast On Demand, turn it on right now. There you’ll find a replay of Pitt vs. Providence from January 25, 1988. With Pitt holding a 6-5 lead and 15:24 left in the first half, we start the fast break. Jerome Lane gets the ball, winds up, slams it — broken backboard, glass everywhere, crowd goes nuts.

Here’s how: Your Town > Local Sports > Fox Sports Pittsburgh > Pitt Hoops

It’s the original broadcast with a few cutaways where FSN’s Rob King interviews former guard Jason Matthews. Watch it for yourself and you’ll enjoy it. You can also Pitt and UConn play for the 2003 Big East Championship with some commentary from Brandin Knight.

On the football side of the On Demand fun, you can watch the Blue-Gold game that happened back in the spring. I’ve yet to watch more than a few minutes of it but you might be able to gauge how a few more players look after watching it. From the On Demand main menu, go to Your Town > College Life > Pitt > Athletics. Your commentators for the game are FSN’s Marshall Harris as well as Foge Fazio.

Sorry to have taken a few unannounced days off. Things have been crazy with a lot of family travel and other work issues that completely took me away from the computer. Time I thought I would have was completely occupied with other things. It likely won’t get cleared up for another week, so I’m not going to say I’m fully back yet. There will likely be spurts and starts, but nothing consistent.

Something I did read that was almost too painful. At SI.com, Luke Winn had a list of the top impact transfers in basketball since 2000 — or at least those who helped their team to the Final Four.  Two squads with impact transfers included the teams that knocked out Pitt in 2003 and 2004.

Oklahoma State’s quartet: Joey Graham, PF (from Central Florida) Stephen Graham, SF (from Central Florida) John Lucas III, PG (from Baylor) Daniel Bobik, SG (from BYU)

…

Robert Jackson, PF, Marquette (from Mississippi State)

Against Pitt, Jackson went for 16 points on 6-8 shooting.

Someday, I won’t wince when I see these sort of things.