Looking ahead to kickoff …
Game: Steelers (0-1) vs. Philadelphia Eagles (1-0), preseason
Time: 8:10 p.m.
Site: Heinz Field
TV, radio: Fox, WDVE-FM, ESPN Radio 970
Weather: 80 degrees, partly cloudy
Here is the official live summary, and here are the news updates on our Steelers page. Feel free, as always, to use this as a discussion forum.
UPDATE 6:22 p.m.: Couple of pics from outside a bit ago …
A gentleman hawks his wares by the riverside entrance to Heinz Field. I’d imagine if all those 6s were 7s, he’d be doing even better.
These gentlemen are pouring it on right near the old Three Rivers Gate C icon.
And the Nation, both ladies and gentlemen, begin to file in.
6:29: Actual kickoff tonight is 8:10 p.m. The Steelers’ player introductions are at 8:03.
6:40: The athletes are out …
… and I don’t think I’ve ever seen the Heinz Field grass look this good. Guess there’s a reason for that.
I’m headin’ dahn nah.
What to watch for:
- Steelers not blocking anybody
- Steelers not covering anybody
DK: How about not getting anybody hurt?
One more word on PBC Bonuses paid this season
http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/draft/2011/08/teams-spend-236-million-on-11-draft/
Also Morgantown, WV and Michigan (home unknown) added to Dejan’s Trib Nation, will update later
“Nobody, nobody, nobody adds guaranteed salary on top of bonuses for the purpose of ranking these things.”
One of the things I like about your writing, Dejan, is that you are not afraid to “go against the flow.” You certainly stood up to a myriad of dissenters last year about your Rookie of the Year ballot, and you defended your choices laudably.
Just because “Nobody” is supposedly doing it (although Bizrow’s listed article by Jim Callis above belies that) does not make it right.
What you spend on the draft is “exactly what you spend on the draft!” Bonus, major league money, minor league money, guaranteed . . . it’s the money each team spent.
No way Strasburg signs in 2009 for $7.5 million bonus only: it took all $15.1 million to sign him out of the 2009 draft. No way Harper signs with Nationals last year only for the $6.1 million bonus: it took the full $10.9 million guaranteed to get him.
To only refer to the bonuses as the team’s signing commitment seems like considering Kevin Corriea a Cy Young candidate because he is 10-2 on the road. One has to take into account his home stats as well. Anything less is incomplete.
Boras thought last year and in 2009 it was better to take the money in Major League guarantees. This year he chose to take it all in bonus. Those are his games, not ours. We should just be listing the definite money the team has committed/promised to spend.
Whether Cole has gambled correctly and he will make more, or he turns into Tony Sanchez and makes considerably less, does not have any effect on what the team had to COMMIT to get him to sign out of the draft.
Just because “Nobody, nobody, nobody is doing it” does not make it correct. The Washington Nationals committed significantly more money to pay out in the last 3 drafts, the last five drafts, the 2011 draft than the Pirates. That’s not criticism of the Pirates or you or anything you wrote——just fact.
Anything else is just semantics——or incomplete.
Groat I humbly disagree. I think Callis’s article confirms what Dejan was saying earlier, the highest “pure” bonus payout ever.
For example, the Nats spent a bit more in committed dollars, but spread over time. My understanding is within 9 months every penny of the 17 million spent by the PBC will be in players pockets, and that does not count salaries for any years
Anyways, Here We Go Steelers
Dejan’s Lunatic Nation – at the Trib,
Arizona – Tucson, Chandler
Arkansas – Rogers
Austrailia – Mackay
California – Bakersfield, San Francisco, UNION CITY, Los Angeles, Newport Beach, Hollywood, Huntington Beach
Colorado – Ft Collins
Connecticut – Cos Cob
Delaware. Newark
District of Columbia
Florida – Palm Harbor, Orlando, Valrico, Gainesville, Daytona Beach (somewhat reluctantly), Oviedo, Tampa, Jacksonville
Georgia – Marietta
Germany – Leverkusen/Cologne
Hawaii – Honolulu
Idaho – Mountain Home, Coer d’Aline
Indiana – Indianapolis
Iowa – Bettendorf
Illinois – La Salle, Peru, Payson, Chicago, Palatine (3 inmates there), Lincoln Park, Grayslake
Japan – Tokyo
Kentucky – Louisville
Louisiana – Slidell
Maryland – Arnold, Odenton, Severn, Baltimore
Massachusetts – Boston
Michigan – Kalamazoo, Eaton Rapids, Lansing
Mississippi – Biloxi
Nebraska – Omaha
New Hampshire – Barrington
New Jersey – Chesterfield, Princeton, Roxbury, Lebanon
New York – New York, Smithtown
North Carolina – Asheville, Hickory, Charlotte
North Dakota
Ohio – Cincinnati, Columbiana, Westerville, Green, Hilliard, Toledo, Mason, Louisville, Columbus, Perrysburg, Pickerington, Youngstown
Pennsylvania – Downtown, Hopewell, Indiana, North Wales, Franklin Park, Forest Hills, Lansdale, Philadelphia, DuBois, Reading, Crafton, Arnold, Wexford, Mt Lebanon, Canonsburg, Lancaster, Huntington, York, Boiling Springs, Philly suburbs, Morningside, Harrisburg, Lawrenceville, Bradfordwoods, Norristown, Hanover, Clearfield, Sewickley, DuBois, Plum Boro, Slippery Rock, Wilks-Barre
The Phillipines
South Carolina – Duncan, Longs, Columbia
Tennessee – Smithville, Nashville
Texas – Tyler, San Antonio, Belton
Virginia – JAL, Hampton, Rescue, Richmond, Front Royal, Woodbridge, Suffolk, Warrenton
Washington – Seattle, Nine Mile Falls, Spokane
West Virginia – Martinsburg, Morgantown
Wisconsin – Madison, Oshkosh
128 locations represented in the blog,
8/18/2011 5:32 PM
If you want to sign in, just post your location of residence, hopefully I won’t miss adding it to our list
DK, looks as though some have followed you over to here…..Keep up the good job! I’m a follower as well.
@Biz-Add Yuba City, CA to the list..
DK: Thanks, Ryan!
Bridgeport, CT
74%
Just start the ball on the 20…I’m with TB.
1 play from scrimmage and already an injury, #72 LT Jonathan Scott
Where is late hit call?
What a terrible line already for Steelers tonight
Gilbert – Foster – Pouncey – Hills – Colon
so let’s keep track of the fouls on Ben, so far, 1 for 2
TD pass from Ben to Antonio Brown (who is having a great camp).
Brown did bobble the ball a bit, if a defense players had hit him might have dropped it.
Jal – don’t have to worry about getting hit when you’re 10 yds past the db.
Steelers are already down 2 LT’s (Scott and Gilbert) to left knee injuries.
Is it just me or is everyone cringing when they see Troy P. flying around the field? We need him to stay healthy through the preseason.
DK: I’ve kind of had that same thought. It’s the topic of tomorrow’s column, actually.
@Happy G
No doubt, Troy/Harrison/Ben need to get out.
“In the grasp” clearly no longer involves having an actual grasp.
DUI Ward with TD
Is Bruce Arians calling the plays? A FB run for Redman. Who is that calling the plays and what have they done with Bruce Arians?
@Dejan
They’ll call in the grasp like that, yet completely miss a 3 step charge and low hit into Ben’s hip/leg. Consistency for Ben is maddening.
See! They had two people in the backfield in the shotgun formation and Miller stayed in to pick up the blitz and allow time to get the ball to Moore. That’s not the Bruce Arians I know.
I still want Ward on my team.
Troy shouldnt even play pre-season at this pt. He should be like LT w. the Chargers.
Phantom injury for all of August!
ok, seriously, why is Troy still playing?
Ok, *fingers crossed* the next sideline shot when we come back from break is Troy with his shoulder pads off.
man, Steelers are quite deep at WR.
Ward, Wallace, Brown, Sanders, Cotchery, Battle
And I’m officially done criticizing Bruce Arians for the game. I don’t care if he calls shotgun empty set and Leftwich gets hurt, just keep extra people back to protect Ben, he’s too important to lose in the preseason. Actually, I don’t want to see Leftwich get hurt either.
Although bonus money paid within 1st nine months and guaranteed money for ML contract over the 5 or 6 years of the deal are apple and oranges.
The most fair way to to compare who has actually spent the most money on any given draft is to reduce all bonuses and guaranteed payments for the drafted players to present value.
A fairly simple calculation for economists and actuaries.
Time to put this Dennis Dixon as a QB thing to rest. He doesn’t have the passing skills to be a legitimate backup QB. Time to cut him
Waters gotta go!
poor lil 35 is havin’ a rough time!
@Biz, you can add Sharpsville, PA to the list:)
DK: Where have YOU been?