Wallace Reports

Hey All,

Last week, word on the street had Steelers wide receiver Mike Wallace showing up over the weekend to sign his $2.7 million restricted free-agent tender. It didn't happen Saturday, Sunday or Monday either. But CBSSports.com's Jason La Canfora confirms that Wallace reported to the Steelers' facility Tuesday morning.

Wallace, the team's 2009 third-round pick, missed offseason workouts, training camp and the first three preseason games because he was looking for a long-term deal. While the specifics of what he wanted and what the Steelers offered are unknown, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Mark Kaboly wrote earlier this month that Wallace turned down a five-year, $50 million offer from the organization.

General manager Kevin Colbert subsequently announced that the team wouldn't negotiate with Wallace until he showed up to sign his tender and then the Steelers promptly signed wide receiver Antonio Brown to a six-year, $43 million extension. Ultimately, Wallace's absence doesn't affect him or the Steelers in the short run. Yes, he's new to Todd Haley's offense, but even if he can't master the playbook (he reportedly picked up a copy this summer), by simply being on the field running go-routes every play will affect how opponents try to defend the Steelers. We're guessing it won't come to that. Partly because Wallace is a veteran who had little trouble as a rookie adjusting to Pittsburgh's offense (he caught 39 passes for 756 yards with six touchdowns). But also because of something former NFL tight end Anthony Becht tweeted Monday:

Good to know RE: Wallace. RT @anthony_becht I learned Haley's O in 7 days, just matter of how smart guy is. Plus assume Ben sent him things

Days after the 2008 draft, when the Steelers loaded up on skill position players at the expense of the offensive line, coach Mike Tomlin said that there were two ways to stifle a pass rush: with pass blockers and with an explosive offense. For years, he seemed content to go with the latter. Then, in April, the Steelers drafted guard David DeCastro and tackle Mike Adams in the first two rounds. DeCastro suffered a serious knee injury in Pittsburgh's last preseason game and could miss the regular season; and Adams isn't ready to be a starter.

In the meantime, Wallace's return means that the Steelers will again feature an explosive offense while it tries to mask any shortcomings along the o-line. (Though, to be fair, Pittsburgh could have five future Hall of Famers protecting Big Ben and he'd still take unnecessary hits. That's how he rolls.)

I personally am glad to see Wallace back in the Steelers organization. He is one the the key receivers on that team, and one of Ben's favorite targets. I can't wait to see how the season turns out, and what Pittsburgh does.

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports.

Big Moves In Boston

Hey All,

The blockbuster five-for-four trade between the Dodgers and Red Sox that's in the ultra-serious stage at this point represents a wonderful chance for Boston to hit the reset button.

If anyone needs to start over, it's the Red Sox, who are going on a full year of abject disappointment starting with their chicken-and-beer September and continuing throughout the bulk of this brutal season. No one is placing the blame on any one individual player, but it behooves them to import a different mix. This deal, as currently constituted (or anything near to what's now on the table), will do just that.

The monster trade, which one baseball official called "the biggest deal in modern baseball history,'' would send Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford and Nick Punto plus cash to Los Angeles for James Loney and four young players -- Rubby De La Rosa, Jerry Sands, Allen Webster and Ivan De Jesus. In terms of dollars, it may be the biggest, with about $270 million in contracts remaining going to LA. (minus the cash the Dodgers will receive).

Folks involved cautioned that the trade wasn't quite done yet, but it seems like that at least a significant portion of this deal will get done. One possible holdup being mentioned are the no-trade powers of Beckett and Crawford, but neither is especially like to quash the mega-deal, especially Crawford, who was believed to always want to go to L.A. in the first place.

We all know why the Dodgers are doing this deal: because they can. They have oodles of cash, really want Gonzalez and are willing to absorb lots of financial obligations to get him. They probably figure Beckett will do better in the National League and Crawford will do better out of Boston, and they are probably right about that. But what they really want is A-Gon.

What the Red Sox want is to get out from under their financial morass. And this is an excellent start.

De La Rosa and especially Webster are nice prospects. But that's almost beside the point. The main objective here is to clear out the clubhouse, and the payroll.

Gonzalez is a terrific player, but he didn't not seem overly thrilled in Boston. He played well but wasn't the superstar they hoped for. More to the point, he couldn't seem to get over the soap-operatic aspect of Boston, which is most of it.

Beckett needs to go as the procurer of the chicken and the beer, the player of golf after a missed start and the leader of a rotation gone mostly awry.

And Crawford, it turns out, wasn't really a fit in Beantown to begin with.

Even better for Boston, Gonzalez has $130-million to go, Crawford $100 million or so and Beckett $35 million.

The amount of cash going to L.A. isn't known yet, and that will affect just how great a deal this is from Boston. But regardless, they needed to move on.

The Dodgers "print money,'' as one competing executive said. But since Boston just makes a lot of it, the Red Sox are better to start over, even if they will now need an outfielder, a starting pitcher and more.

The group they had wasn't getting it done. Time to figure out something different. This certainly is different.

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports

Bison Preseason All-American

Hey All,

Bethany College senior linebacker Kyle Arrington (Jackson Twp., Ohio/Jackson) was named First Team South Preseason All-American and senior wide receiver Ed Holmes (Virginia Beach, Va./Landstown) was selected Honorable Mention South by the Collegiate Development Football League (CDFL), which is the sponsor for the D3 Senior Classic.

This is the second straight season the Bison have sported Preseason All-Americans on the roster, as running back Eric Walker, who completed his career as the school’s all-time leader in rushing yards and touchdowns, was selected prior to last season.

Arrington, a 6-2, 220-pound inside linebacker for the Bison, is a three-time Honorable Mention All-PAC selection. He led the Bison in tackles for the third straight year in 2011 with 86, which was good enough for third in the league. For his career, he has 256 career stops, which places him ninth all-time at BC with still a season to go.

With Arrington spearheading the Bethany defense, the unit ranked first in the conference in total defense (281.1 yards per game) and pass defense (128.4) and allowed just 19.3 points per game after recording two shutouts during the season against Thiel (20-0) and King’s (48-0). It was the first time BC blanked two foes in the same season since 2000.

A pre-med major, Kyle is the son of Pamela & Tony Arrington of Jackson Twp., Ohio.

The 5-9, 175-pound wideout Holmes was recognized with Honorable Mention All-PAC status after last season, a year in which he led Bethany and ranked fifth in the league with 47 receptions for 577 yards and four touchdowns. He also shared time as a kickoff returner and added a fifth touchdown on the season by taking one back 82 yards for a score at Saint Vincent.

Entering his final year in Green and White, Holmes has amassed 96 catches for 1,104 yards and six touchdowns. With just four more receptions, Holmes will become only the eighth player in Bison history to catch 100 career passes.

A sports communication major, Ed is the son of Lakeeta and Robert Lewis of Virginia Beach, Va. Who I'm sure can't be happier with their son's accomplishments.

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up do date with everything sports.

Plaque For Stewart

Hey All,

Friday afternoon the West Virginia University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics dedicated a plaque at Milan Puskar Stadium to honor the memory of late Mountaineer football coach Bill Stewart.

The attractive gold and blue plaque reads: “Bill Stewart. A True Mountaineer. Leave No Doubt.”

“We have come together to unveil a plaque designed to commemorate a great man – a great father, a great husband and a man who was extraordinarily proud of his hometown of New Martinsville in the Ohio River Valley,” said WVU Director of Athletics Oliver Luck. “I imagine in my mind grandpas telling their grandkids in front of this plaque about the great Oklahoma victory out in the Fiesta Bowl and what that meant, not just to the football team, but to the University and the entire state as a whole.”

The plaque is located on the stadium concourse underneath the press box.

Athletic department staff personnel, coaches, former players and friends of Coach Stew took part in the brief private ceremony. University First Lady Beth Clements joined Director Luck in making remarks.

“We think it is appropriate to put this plaque next to the only other plaque in the stadium commemorating the opening day of Mountaineer Field,” said Luck. “We hope this stadium will stand for many, many decades to come, and both of these plaques will be here until the very last day.

“I envision many folks will come throughout the course of the season to pay their respects to Coach Stew,” Luck added. “Thousands of our fans knew him personally and because of the placement here in the public area of the concourse, I think folks for generations can appreciate the type of man that Coach Stewart was.”

Stewart, who died on May 21 of an apparent heart attack while playing golf at Stonewall Jackson Resort, was the head coach of the Mountaineers for three seasons from 2008-10.

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports.

6 NFL Teams Who Could Use Bolt

Hey All,

Now that the Olympics are over, there's one very fast young man looking at one very long layoff before resurfacing in Rio in four years.

Hey, Usain Bolt! You want to play in the NFL?

Bob Hayes, gold medal winner in the 100 meters at the 1964 Tokyo Games and dubbed world's fastest human, did it. So did Renaldo Nehemiah, world record-holder in the 110-meter hurdles who missed the 1980 Moscow Games because of a U.S. boycott.

Sure, money would be an issue. And it's questionable whether you'd be willing to put on pads, practice every day, learn to catch footballs while running at world-record speed, and then deal with getting slammed to the ground by defenders.

Nonetheless, think about this:

Hayes became the first Olympic champion to make it big in pro football. He was a wide receiver for nine years with the Dallas Cowboys, and a two-time All-Pro. He was so fast that defenses abandoned man-to-man coverage and came up with zone defenses in an attempt to keep him in check. He's now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Nehemiah didn't have as much success in his four years as a wide receiver with the San Francisco 49ers, but he was a hurdler after all, and not the fastest runner on the planet.

You get the idea, though, and teams desperate for deep threats might be willing to take a look. Buffalo Bills general manager Buddy Nix would.

''He'd have to be interested, that would be the first step,'' Nix said of Bolt, adding that he's not sure the Jamaican is an American football kind of guy.

''I know he's interested in playing soccer,'' Nix said before adding with a smile that he doubts Bolt would turn to football because ''they hit you in football. Track guys sometimes don't like that.''

However, he says, ''I don't know if he does or not (want to play), but if he does, you'd sure have to cover deep.''

Minnesota Vikings special teams coordinator Mike Priefer chimed in about Bolt as a kick returner.

''I'm not going to say he can't, because he's big, he's strong and he can run,'' Priefer said. ''I don't want to say that he can't do it. Because he's a heck of a lot faster than anybody else in the world.''

Here's a Pick 6 of teams that could use a jolt of Bolt:

---

MIAMI DOLPHINS

With Chad Johnson gone, the Dolphins could use an attention-grabbing receiver right now, if nothing else than to keep viewers tuned in to HBO's ''Hard Knocks.'' Seriously, with Miami's receivers seemingly dropping more balls than they are catching, it might be worth seeing what Bolt could do. We even asked new coach Joe Philbin what he thought of Bolt. And true to head coaching form, Philbin didn't know much about the guy who just dazzled the world with a second straight three-gold-medal Olympics.

''I haven't even watched the Olympics, but I do remember Bob Hayes, great receiver,'' Philbin began. ''If you have any tape, what'd he run? Was he a 100-meter guy? 6-foot-5?''

Laughing, he added, ''I'll bring the tape up to Jeff (GM Jeff Ireland) and see what he says.''

NEW YORK JETS

How can owner Woody Johnson or coach Rex Ryan resist? Guaranteed tabloid back page forever if this happens. Tim Tebow to Usain Bolt, 99 yards, touchdown. Cool? Not? Practice would be a blast, too. Bolt streaking down a sideline, and the likes of cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie trying to keep up. Priceless.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

Randy Moss and Chad Ochocinco (now known as jobless Chad Johnson) played for Bill Belichick, and now the Pats are looking at former Giants and Jets wide receiver Plaxico Burress. Clearly, a big-play, big-name receiver is on someone's wanted list, so why not Bolt? Even better than Tebow to Bolt, how does Brady to Bolt sound?

OAKLAND RAIDERS

A team that traditionally looks at any option, why not this one? Even with the death of maverick owner Al Davis, new Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie would stir things up if Bolt were decked out in Silver and Black. Of course, the Raiders have to come up with an accurate passer from the trio of Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart and Terrelle Pryor.

DALLAS COWBOYS

They brought Bullet Bob Hayes to the NFL, so why wouldn't owner Jerry Jones consider trying to woo Bolt to America's Team? Heck, they'd become Jamaica's Team, too. Adding some intrigue to this option, there are issues surrounding star receiver Dez Bryant, who has a hamstring problem and could still be disciplined by the NFL or the Cowboys following his arrest last month for allegedly assaulting his mother.

ST. LOUIS RAMS

How great this would be: The Rams show up at Wembley Stadium on Oct. 28 to play the Raiders, and guess who's suiting up? (He could end up a Raider for this one, too). If nothing else, this could turn into quite a return to London for Bolt a little more than two months after he blazed to gold in the 100 and 200 meters and anchored the winning 4x100 relay team. Even with a slew of receivers, from deep threat Danario Alexander and the return of Danny Amendola, a Sam Bradford-to-Bolt sideshow is appealing.

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports.

More Problems In Boston

Hey All,

Boston Red Sox third baseman Will Middlebrooks' season might be over.

More On The Red Sox Gordon Edes and the rest of the ESPNBoston.com team have the Red Sox covered for you.

He was placed on the 15-day disabled list Saturday after he broke a bone in his right hand. Middlebrooks was hit by a pitch in the ninth inning of Friday's game by Cleveland Indians reliever Esmil Rogers.

"He had a terrific run for us," Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said. "He's a terrific player. I don't think he'll be back this year. He might for a short stint, I don't know.

"I couldn't be happier or more proud of everything he did and developing into the player that he did. It's a damn shame."

The Red Sox recalled third baseman Danny Valencia from Triple-A Pawtucket to take Middlebrooks' place on the roster.

Middlebrooks, 23, emerged after an injury to former Red Sox slugger Kevin Youkilis. Because Middlebrooks played so well, the Red Sox were able to trade Youkilis to the Chicago White Sox.

Middlebrooks was batting .288 with 15 home runs and 54 RBIs.

"I see no silver lining of him not being in the lineup," Valentine said.

Valencia was acquired from the Twins on Aug. 5 in exchange for minor league outfielder Jeremias Pineda. Valencia was sent to Triple-A Pawtucket. While he was recalled Saturday, he didn't arrive in Cleveland in time for the start of Saturday's game.

Valentine commended Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington for the Valencia trade.

"Good job by Ben and his crew, trying to increase the depth at different positions," he said.

Valencia could get the bulk of the playing time at third. Pedro Ciriaco was at third against the Indians on Saturday.

"I have no idea (what we'll do)," Valentine said. "We'll figure it out, though. There are no concrete plans."

Mike Aviles, in the lineup at shortstop on Saturday, won't be shifted to third.

Valencia batted just .198 in 34 games with the Twins this season. Valentine said Valencia fell out of good graces with the Twins.

"There was something they didn't like over there," Valentine said.

The new scenery could be exactly what Valencia needs.

"We like his approach at the plate," Valentine said. "We like his defensive abilities. It seems like his head was in the right place."

Valentine said it's time players wear a protective apparatus on the wrist to prevent injuries such as the one Middlebrooks suffered. He said two or three times every year players are sidelined with broken hands.

Meanwhile, Red Sox DH David Ortiz is experiencing some soreness in his strained Achilles. Trainer Rick Jameyson told Valentine that Ortiz's leg bothers him only when he runs straight ahead.

"He had off yesterday and felt great," Valentine said. "Today he is going to hit and run.

"We are trying to make sure he has no setback."

Bob Finnan is a contributor to ESPNBoston.com.

It just seems to be one problem after the other for Boston. They just can't seem to catch a break this year. With the way they are looking right now I see no chance of them making the postseason, yet again. Unless they can make a miraculous come back from now till October. But they will have to win every series from here on out.

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports.