Darrell Strong didn’t take Memorial Day off from causing trouble.

Strong, 21, of Sunrise, Fla., is accused of damaging the woman’s purse and cell phone during the altercation that began in an apartment and moved to a fast-food restaurant in the Waterfront complex where police were called at 7:55 p.m. Monday, Homestead police Chief Jeffrey DeSimone said.

Of course it’s known that Dave Wannstedt can be harsh with his punishment of players, even for seemingly small offenses.

“After meeting with Darrell, I have decided that he will be subject to internal disciplinary measures effective immediately.”

Thankfully he wasn’t stupid enough to injure her and is was a dispute with some shoving (not like that kind of action should be condoned either) or else we could have another pretty big punishment handed down my Wannstedt.

There are very few fans that would be against a return to the script Pitt and colors from Pitt’s better days. There’s been plenty of discussion about it and I don’t care why we’re not wearing it, whether it be something legal or someone just making an executive decision about it — I just want to see a return to those colors.

Are we going to see that soon? Well, there are some seemingly small changes being made according to Sitting Ringside.

The “PANTHERS” across the chest will be replaced with “PITT” and blue pants will return for the first time since 2003, when they were worn against Virginia Tech.

It seems like we’ll never get to the point where we see the same jerseys that we wore against Youngstown State in that throwback game. Thankfully I picked mine up in that auction of the game-used jerseys because we might never see them on a Pitt team regularly for a while.

Somewhere along the line someone really missed this, and now it’s a bit embarrassing.
The Cincinnati Enquirer has a list of top donors to college athletics in the area and why. This one jumped out like a big frickin’ neon sign.

MAX AND JUDI REDLICH

Occupation: Founders of PENCO Inc. Max is retired, but plays professional poker.

Booster activity: The Redlichs, who are University of Pittsburgh graduates, have been UCATS members since 1995 and longtime Cincinnati residents. They are part of the George Smith Society and give about $20,000 per year. They have decided to leave their seven-figure estate to UC with 75 percent going to athletics and 25 percent going to the College-Conservatory of Music. Currently the value is about $4 million.

Why they do it: “Pitt never asked us,” Max said.

The Redlichs’ children took over the family business and are financially well off.

“So you sit down and you say, what are you going to do with your money when you die?” Max said. “We just evolved into this idea of planned giving. We are both big advocates of a college education.”

They’re also big basketball fans. They have second-row seats at Fifth Third Arena and have traveled to some of UC’s big games. Max even recalled playing blackjack with former UC player Ruben Patterson in Puerto Rico. They’ve also gotten to know UC President Nancy Zimpher through dinner parties and UC basketball coach Mick Cronin.

“The whole athletic department is getting to know the UCATS members better,” Max said.

“A big part of it is the people,” Judi said. “We know Mike Thomas, and these people have been so nice to meet. That’s been a big part of us doing this as far as I’m concerned.”

[Emphasis added.]

Next time. Ask. AD Jeff Long might want to consider reaching out personally on this one.

I guess when you’re trying to live the life of a rapper, beating your wife/girlfriend is just part of the road to stardom. Keith “KB” Benjamin took care of that but could have the charges dropped and get off the hook if he can keep his hands off his former girlfriend (and vice versa).

“All parties agreed to go 30 days. If there are no incidents, all charges will be dropped.”

I’ll bet any money that if you asked Jamie Dixon to make a comment on it, he’d make the most positive comment possible. That would simply be “Dixon being Dixon”.

If you thought it was early for top 25 basketball polls, then this is going to seem like talking about something way too early. Almost as bad as playing holiday music in early November.

Joe Lunardi, ESPN’s “expert” bracketologist, has Pitt in the #7 seed slot.

Nope, it’s not to early for this garbage at all.

At first I was pissed when I read Starkey’s ESPN.com piece that started talking about Wannstedt wanting the defense to get better but turned into yet another Paul Rhoads, um, defense. Then I reread it and can only shake my head and laugh.

Rhoads was not oblivious to the cries for his head. Things were different in 2004, when 17 interceptions and four defensive touchdowns helped propel Pitt into the Fiesta Bowl. Nobody was complaining in 2002, when the Panthers ranked among the country’s top 25 in seven defensive categories and allowed the fewest points in a Pitt season since 1988, despite playing 13 games. Things were OK in 2001, too, when Rhoads’ defense racked up 38 sacks, and in 2000, when Pitt finished 17th in the country against the run.

I mean, at what point do you get tired of pointing out that the first two years were with players and a defense put together by the prior defensive coordinator. That the defense has steadily gone down hill every year.

He adds a new twist, though. He has Rhoads blaming the second half collapse on one play.

Rhoads pointed to a single play as a turning point. It happened against Rutgers, when Pitt, 6-1 at the time and trailing 13-10, had the Scarlet Knights pinned deep early in the fourth quarter. Tailback Ray Rice then bolted 67 yards up the middle to set up the clinching touchdown.

“After that,” Rhoads said, “she goes down the toilet in those last two games.”

Pitt actually lost four in a row after that, leading to speculation about Rhoads’ job.

Not that I don’t remember that play. Hell, that play put Ray Rice in the Heisman conversation (AOL had me do a post on Rice’s “Heisman moment” and that was the one). The thing is, when a coach — even in hindsight — says one play, one moment in a game has a lingering effect on a team. That reveals so much about the coach rather than the players. It says he couldn’t reach them, that he couldn’t get the team to move on and forget. That he let them have that excuse. Ralph Willard committed the same sin when he was the basketball coach (blowing the UConn game in his final season).

If anything, I’m even more negative to Rhoads then before. That he would say that one play broke the spirit and desire of the defense and his so-called “mad-dog intensity,” as Scott McKillop put it, did nothing to get the players back.

According to spokespeople from Penn State, renewing the football rivalry isn’t going to happen anytime soon. PSU’s student newspaper, The Daily Collegian, has a story on the rivalry that made me sick, especially hearing what this Penn State spokesman says.

“Current discussions by the Big Ten regarding the possibility of adding another conference game to the football schedule would limit our ability to schedule out-of-conference games,” he wrote.

Yes, it must be very hard to schedule and fit in all of those games against the Florida International’s and Buffalo’s of the world.

MacCarthy also said an additional football game would be a financial burden.

Yeah, it’s a huge financial burden to have the stadiums full at both schools while local hotels and bars fill up for the weekend. Other than the big wigs at Penn State, everybody else wants to see these games happen.

Borghetti said it is a shame that students at both universities do not know the importance of the rivalry that he “knew and appreciated.”

Some Penn State students said they would like to see a Penn State versus Pittsburgh rivalry reinstated.

Penn State doesn’t even have a real rival right now. They play Michigan State every year for a stupid trophy, but a yearly trophy doesn’t make a game into a rivalry (see: Pitt vs. Cincinnati).

You know, if you want to recycle the same theme, at least do everyone the courtesy of waiting at least 6 months. Joe Starkey barely makes it 4 months with out the recycling of defending Paul Rhoads. I don’t pretend to be unbiased about this. My ego is such, that I will even assume that posts here and ongoing snark to Rhoads have caught Starkey’s attention — along with plenty on the message boards — to recycle his defense of Rhoads. At least this time he gets Rhoads to go on the record with him. At least Starkey is willing to concede part of reality.

For the record, Pitt’s rushing defense under Rhoads has gone from 17th in the country in 2000 to 26th in 2001 to 24th, 87th, 48th, 94th and 107th.

That kind of a dip will produce a lot of unhappy people. Rhoads knows dealing with harsh criticism is part of the job description for every coach and always has been.

Rhoads, however, is allowed to lie without penalty.

This year’s defense reminds Rhoads of the 2000 unit, which wasn’t overly talented but fought like crazy and finished with a No. 29 overall ranking.

Pardon?

Compared to the roster the last couple years it sure was talented — Bryan Knight, Ramon Walker, Gerald Hayes, Torrie Cox, Shawntee Spencer and Mark Ponko were all starters for that defense. Maybe in time, the players Pitt has on the defense this year will match that. Still, those were all kids that were brought in before Rhoads. What does he have to show on the defensive side besides Darrelle Revis in his tenure?
I mean, this is just a total recycle of his themes from his late November defense of Rhoads (that I fisked).

To repeat:

• Dip in talent on the defense and not recruiting well on that side, not Rhoads’ fault. Check.
• Rhoads has to be judged based on the Wannstedt timetable of 2008 and 4 years, not his own entire tenure despite the fact that the defense has dropped each year now going on year 8. Check.
• If Wannstedt wants him, then all deference to the head coach (at least on this issue). Check.
• Ignoring the issues of poor fundamentals and the repetition of the same mistakes every year. Check.

Oh, but he adds a new one. Rhoads is enthusiastic and fired-up kind of coach. Yeah, that makes a difference.

Look, I get that Paul Rhoads is a very personable guy. He is enthusiastic, and people like him and want him to succeed. Clearly he’s got some charms on a personal level to keep the job this long with the results he’s generated.

That doesn’t change the fact that there is nothing about his actual job performance says he should stay.

Starkey is already excusing what happens this year by saying he can’t be judged until 2008. That’s great. I will repeat my question. How does the Defensive Coordinator get more time to fail then the head coach? 

Yes, Herb Pope — a once Pitt recruit — was shot.

I don’t know what to say. I was happy that he didn’t sign with Pitt, and the thought that it might do him some good to have a fresh start from so many of his entourage and hanger-ons deep in the Southwest was a reasonable wish.

He has had a horrible past year from the standpoint of perceptions. He got tossed out of an AAU Tournament game. He nearly transferred — again. He finally signed with New Mexico State to the relief of many. Then there was his behavior after Aliquippa blew the lead in the final 3:50 of the Class AA PIAA championship game.

I hope Pope has a full recovery. I hope he can still play ball at New Mexico State. I really hope that he finally realizes that his basketball talent won’t excuse all the other things he does with his life. The bullets that tore through his flesh like any one else, are about the most physical representation of not being invulnerable or that special.

Right after the UCLA loss, Coach Jamie Dixon was about as down as he gets about losing. His quote

“It feels like a loss, and a bad one, a disappointing end-of-year loss,” Dixon said after a 64-55 defeat Thursday to Howland-coached UCLA in the West Regional. “I’m trying to remember the 29 wins. I only seem to be remembering this loss.”

And if you saw the press conference, you could see how hard it was on him to lose that game.

So, now a week later Mike Prisuta takes his run at the team losing in the Sweet 16. He seems particularly bothered that Pitt and especially Coach Dixon would mention the good side to this team.

The impression left by coach Jamie Dixon is that Pitt desperately wants to win more than two games a tournament and experience firsthand what all the real fuss is about every March. The trouble is, Dixon has a tendency to rationalize Pitt’s continued inability to get knee deep in the Madness, as he did on a recent appearance on Fox Sports Radio 970’s “Bendel and Benz” show.

“Schools would die to have the success we’ve had, even though that doesn’t diminish the disappointment we had,” Dixon said.

Then, why bring it up?

As for Pitt’s “success,” Dixon went over the top in assessing that when asked whether this year’s Sweet 16 exit was the most disappointing of the four in the past six years.

So, Coach Dixon goes on a radio show and defends his team and the program? That he won’t rip his players? That’s the problem? That he didn’t rend his shirt on the air and scream, “why? Oh, why can’t we win?”
I’m not sure that Dixon could win this no matter what. He said he was disappointed. He wants to win. Everyone was disappointed by the outcome. That he put anything positive on the season apparently bothered Prisuta to no end.

That’s crap. Part of Dixon’s job is to go out in the public, the fans, the alumni, the boosters and the media and sell the school and the team. Part of that is not just to talk about what you want to accomplish, but to also discuss what has been accomplished. To put it in a positive light.

This isn’t settling for some above average mediocrity. It’s selling the good in the program to date.

They come out with new Oakland Zoo tee shirts each year. The next marketing gimmick might be upon us: “postseason shirts”.

The men’s shirt says “Together!” and the women’s has “We Got This!” on it.

If you’re looking for a way to get rid of $20 then click here.

— Former Pitt hoops coach (1994-1999) Ralph Willard’s Holy Cross team wasn’t able to pull the 13 over 4 seed upset last night and lost to Southern Illinois 61-51. His Holy Cross team was also in the West Region to add to the Pitt connection. It’s down to Dixon and Howland as the best Pitt related guy in that part of the bracket.

— If there was any reason I wanted to play Duke before, after seeing this flop I’d want to play them and beat them so badly.

— Damn, those Dukies have broken an opponents nose in two of their last three games. First it was Tyler Hansbrough and now VCU’s Wil Fameni. He’ll be wearing a mask against Pitt which is an advantage for us. It seems to always take guys a few games to get used to wearing a big plastic guard over their face. If only it had happened to Eric Maynor…(Thanks to TMGPanther in the comments for the link.)

Just so those of you tuning into the Big East Tournament, 2 pm game, don’t scream in shock and fear, Nike is debuting their new b-ball unis starting in conference tournaments. Florida, Arizona, Ohio State and Syracuse will be wearing the new look. Something that has been compared to team wedding dresses or almost gladiator-esque. A snug-spandex contoured top with sleeves and shorts that — well — baggy doesn’t even begin to describe.

You’ve been warned.

Thank god Pitt is not a Nike school.

So the Penguins won in an overtime/shootout thriller last night. Whatta great game. Sorry, that’s honestly the last time I’ll ever mention the Pens on this blog.

On the other hand, the last time Antonio Bryant was mentioned on this blog was after his little reckless/drunken driving ordeal when he was clocking at over 100 on a freeway in his Lamborghini.

Now, he’s been cut by the Niners.

The 49ers hoped they achieved addition by subtraction Thursday with the release of troubled wide receiver Antonio Bryant.

Bryant was waived after a meeting last weekend in Indianapolis with 49ers coach Mike Nolan. Bryant, according to his financial adviser Chuck Sanders, asked for a larger role in the offense next season. Nolan said that because Bryant is in the middle of a four-game suspension and possibly faces jail time stemming from his Nov. 20 arrest on reckless driving and resisting arrest charges, that he couldn’t depend on Bryant.

I guess he still won’t be able to afford a belt.

Seems there was a little act of vandalism by Pitt fans on the Georgetown campus.

Vandals spray-painted vulgar phrases on the blue and gray “Hoya Saxa” sign near the Canal Road entrance to campus on Saturday on the same day the men’s basketball team defeated the University of Pittsburgh in a game that received national attention.

Students returning from the basketball game Saturday afternoon said that they saw several curse words spray-painted over the Georgetown catchphrase. The sign has since been repainted.

Emily Dorff (COL ’10) said she saw that the sign had been vandalized on her way home to campus.

“It had ‘Go Pitt’ and ‘Fuck Georgetown’ spray-painted on it in blue,” she said.

There’s a picture with the article. It’s not the biggest picture, but it would appear that there was only one of the 7 dirty words used once. So I’m not sure about multiple vulgarities.

Students who saw the vandalism said that they suspect that the phrases were painted by Pitt supporters some time before the end of Saturday’s game.

You mean Hoya fans didn’t do it themselves? There are times when I love student papers.

Though students said the graffiti could not totally ruin the positive atmosphere surrounding Georgetown’s win Saturday, it was a source of anger and frustration for many.

Michael Driscoll (MSB ’08), who heard from a friend about the sign’s alteration, said he was infuriated by the offensive vandalism.

“You just don’t do something like that,” he said. “It’s tasteless.”

Some students, however, said that the vandalism did not upset them much.

“I wouldn’t say I was upset. Perhaps annoyed, with a tinge of amusement,” Dorff said.

The sign has already been repainted and no evidence remains beyond the photographs and memories.

I’m not condoning it, because I don’t think “Fuck” was necessary. Simply painting Pitt over a sign that could and was easily repainted seems harmless enough.