By Lynn Saternow
Herald Sports Editor
TWELVE STRAIGHT and counting. It’s shameful that the Steelers have beaten the Browns a dozen straight times. What happened to the so-called “parity” in the NFL.
It’s a sad commentary that there are two things certain when every fall arrives: The leaves will change colors and the Steelers will beat the Browns.
One of those is beautiful, the other not so beautiful. (Unless you’re a Steelers fan of course.)
It has gotten so bad that Steelers fans don’t even gloat over the victories. That is really sad. They feel sorry for Browns fans. That’s more painful than the gloating. Then again, Browns fans feel sorry for Browns fans.
In last Sunday’s win, the Steelers weren’t really very impressive. They made a lot of mistakes. Of course maybe they were playing down to the level of the Browns.
Cleveland made Ben Roethlisberger look like Peyton Manning, allowing No. 7 to complete passes that even I could have completed. How can wide receivers possibly be so open with nobody covering them?
I’ll tell you how. Your defensive backs are out at 2 o’clock in the morning getting in auto accidents. That’s what happened to Eric Wright and he might not play this week.
Meanwhile, the Browns receivers are still dropping passes that even I could catch. Do these guys really get paid?
The hiring of Eric Mangini as head coach appears to be just another big mistake by the management of the Browns. How can he possibly think that Derek Anderson is better at quarterback than Brady Quinn who has never been really given a chance to play and improve.
Peyton Manning wasn’t great early on. Terry Bradshaw had trouble making the lineup. And look at the struggles of rookie Jets QB Mark Sanchez, who went from the toast of New York to burnt toast. You need to give quarterbacks time to develop.
Even “Rolling Stone” magazine slammed Mangini. How about that tune?
Cleveland fans are among the most loyal in the league, but their patience is wearing thin. It won’t get any better this week when they are thrashed by Green Bay, 30-9.
Meanwhile, Pittsburgh will get a true test this week when they host Minnesota and Brett Favre.
However, it’s the running game that will decide this one. The Vikings have Adrian Peterson while Pittsburgh has no run game. Look for the Vikings to come out on top, 20-17.
Last week my picks were as pathetic as the Browns, going 4-10 for a season mark of 47-43. Following are the rest of this week’s predictions (betting line in parentheses just for fun):
New England (-14) over Tennessee
Dallas (-3) over Atlanta
Miami (plus 7) over New Orleans
NY Giants (-7) over Arizona
Chicago (plus 21/2) over Cincy
Kansas City (plus 4) over San Diego
Indy (-131/2) over St. Louis
Houston (-3) over San Fran
Oakland (plus 7) over NY Jets
Carolina (no line) over Buffalo
Philly (-7) over Washington
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SPORTVIEW: It's a sad day when Steelers fans feel sorry for Browns backers
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PIAA Track: Hickory's Bell, Lubarski, Regginello grab gold
SHIPPENSBURG — There’s a big difference between being seeded 1st and finishing 1st — Matt Bell can attest to that.
After settling for silver last year, the Hickory High senior put the shot 59 feet, 6 3/4 inches Friday afternoon to garner gold at the annual PIAA Track & Field Championships at Shippensburg University. -
WM to play for D-10 baseball title; GC, Sharon, Sharpsville lose
Four area baseball teams were in action on Friday in the District 10 semifinals as the squads battled to compete for District 10 championships on Monday.
West Middlesex rolled past error-prone Linesville, 8-0, in Class A action at Slippery Rock University’s Jack Critchfield Park.
In Class AA, both Sharon and Sharpsville suffered 2-1 losses. The Tigers fell to Saegertown at Ainsworth Field in Erie while the Blue Devils lost to Titusville at SRU.
In Class AAA, the Grove City Eagles were denied the chance to defend their D-10 crown after suffering a 6-3 loss to Warren at SRU. -
Farrell volleyball falls in D-10 semifinals
The Farrell High boys volleyball team suffered a 2-0 (25-15, 25-12) loss to Saegertown on Thursday night in the District 10 semifinals at Meadville Area High’s “House of Thrills.”
“This was the first year we made it out of the first day (pool play) of the playoffs,” said Steelers’ coach Dan Dragicevic. “I’d like to cite my seniors (Eric Demus, Anthony Perkins, Jaylen Chambers and Lawrence Hughes). -
Locals ready to go for gold at Shippensburg
Now that Mercer County is on the map, it’s incumbent upon the area aggregation to chart a course for the ultimate destination — Seth Grove Stadium’s medals stand — during this weekend’s PIAA Track & Field Championships.
Led by West Middlesex High sprinter Clay Allen, many Mercer Countians are seeded at or near the top of their respective events for the annual 2-day marathon at Shippensburg University, which commences 9 a.m. Friday. It will continue beginning 9 a.m. Saturday. -
D-10 Playoffs: Local teams go 6-for-6
ä Grove City 1, Harbor Creek 0 — At Slippery Rock University’s Jack Critchfield Park, what the Grove City Eagles couldn’t accomplish themselves, the Harbor Creek Huskies unwittingly did for them.
Unable to plate runs themselves, Torin Smith scored the Eagles’ only run when teammate Tyler Devine’s seeming inning-ending pop-up to left field was dropped by Harbor Creek’s Chris Merritt in the bottom of the 7th inning of Tuesday’s tourney opener. -
Great year for WM track; local qualifiers listed
It’s been a big year for the Big Reds.
Though there’s no official documentation, the 2011-12 academic year may be the most successful in West Middlesex High’s athletic annals. -
SPORTVIEW: Local names Kroko, Lutz, Kareklas in news elsewhere
IT’S ALWAYS GOOD to hear of former area people who have gone on to athletic success in other areas, or the family of former area residents. Following are a few of those stories:
ä Bob and Betty Kroko of Sharon are avid followers of professional baseball. No, not necessarily the Pittsburgh Pirates or Cleveland Indians like many local fans.
The Krokos keep a close eye on the Austria Major League! -
Petty an all-around great athlete in track and gymnastics
When Mercer County’s contingent convenes at the annual PIAA Track & Field Championships this weekend, it will be well represented
Clay Allen, Matt Bell, John Yohman, Johnathan Jacoway, Jeremy Jansco, Nico Zahniser, DeShawn Coleman, Dan Jaskowak, et all, should haul home some hardware. But with all due respect, the aforementioned young men may or may not be best athletes in the area’s aggregation that will assemble this weekend at Shippensburg University. -
Lubarski, Richards, Petty, Allen shine at D-10 Track Championships; Hickory girls, WM boys team champs
Hickory High’s high-jump state champion Lauren Lubarski suffered a severe blow to open her competion at the annual District 10 Class AA Track & Field Championships Saturday at Hickory HIgh Stadium.
She failed to qualify for state in the event she had won the previous year. -
Baseball, softball D-10 playoff pairings
The District 10 pairings for the baseball and softball playoffs have been released. Five area baseball teams and four (possibly 5) softball squads have qualified.
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