roninbuc: Would Dan Duquette be a good fit for Pirates CEO after being out of the game at the MLB level for 5 years? Utimately failed in Boston, and had a rep for arrogance at the end of his term, plus his Expos ties to Tracy and Littlefield might mean they stay for 2008. Would this be a bad move by Nutting to bring him in?

Gene Collier: Duquette's an intriguing name because his experience with the Expos is somewhat analagous to the desperate situation here in Pittsburgh. I don't think his absence would be that big of a deal (see Dick Vermeil -- all right, wrong sport). Walt Jocketty is the other name out there and that just doesn't make sense to me. Why would someone runnign the Cardinals want to run the Pirates, just like 'why would someone managing the Dodgers want to manage the Pirates'. I suppose it could happen, but I think if I had to pick between them, I'd take Duquette.

Cheese_Chester: Gene, like the tree falling in the woods when noone is around, do you think anyone noticed the Buccos have won 9 of 11?

Gene Collier: I'm sure people have noticed because the Pirates have a fairly dutiful TV audience and there are always people willing to go to the park for the pierogi races. I haven't watched two innings since July 19 and franktly, don't think it matters what they do. They've proven they can't function when the games are even close to meaningful.

Reidfumbles2much: Gene, are you becoming a fan of Big East football yet? The conference has 3 solid teams with South Florida up and coming, dare I say better football than the Big 10 and Pac 10?

Gene Collier: I'd say you dare not, but I am becoming a fan of South Florida, which I seem to cover repeatedly for no apparent reason. I've seen Pitt at South Florida, South Florida at Penn State, South Florida at Pitt, and -- oh there it is again -- South Florida at Pitt Nov. 24 on my assignment schedule. I've covered this team more than some columnists in Tampa!

jimmy_g: What is your take on how well the Pirates have played in August and how do you think it will all play out?

Gene Collier: I thought when they said their goal was 82 wins back in July they had a better chance of losing 82 by Sept. 1. What they've done in August might seem appealing on the surface, but it came after all was lost and now everybody can just have fun and spoil everyone else's summer. If these Pirates would turn up in a game they had to win (for some ridiculous reason), you wouldn't be able to pull a needle out of their butts with a tractor. I think it will play out that Littlefield and Tracy will be fired and the new CEO will start from scatch, giving the Nuttings another four or five year cushion in enchanted rebuilding land.

jimmy_g: Is the absolute best anyone should expect from the Pitt football team this year is a 7-5 record?

Gene Collier: Let's see, Eastern Michigan, Grambling, Navy, that's three. Cincinnati, Syracuse, that's five. You see any other wins there? Connecticut. Maybe six. South Florida? The Bulls? That's a tough seventh. At Michigan State, at Virginia, at Louisville, at Rutgers, at West Virginia -- any wins there? Maybe Virginia, but doubtful, especially coming off that tough home loss against Connecticut.

jimmy_g: Do you think there will be any real surprises on who makes the Steelers this year?

Gene Collier: Not after Steely McBeam. I'd be surprised, frankly, if Dan Kreider and Verron Haynes DON'T make it. So anyone who displaces either of them is a bit of surprise to me. Walter Young would surprise me. He might be the only guy ever to get a press conference for retiring from the practice squad.

roninbuc: Loved Garner as a player for the '79 Bucs, but have never been impressed with his managerial skills? Probably got a raw deal with Houston this year, but the guy is just bad strategically, your thoughts?

Gene Collier: That's a pretty fair observation in my view. I covered the '05 World Series the White Sox swept from the Astros, and even though all of those games were very good -- one going 14 innings I believe -- Garner was victimized not just by his club's poor hitting, but in the way he mishandled his bullpen.

ronin_buc: Wannstedt looks like he is building a solid D with depth at D-Line and fast mobile LB's (especially Dickerson), do you expect Pitt's D to develop into one of the top units in the Big East this year?

Gene Collier: I think Wannstedt has been held by back terrible front people on both sides, but as you suggest, his defense is starting to take shape, finally. I think they were so unstable at linebacker coming into camp that there is still a lot of developing to do. As someone suggested earlier, the conference is gaining strength a lot faster than Pitt is, so if Pitt can develop a defense that's even in the top half by November, that would be a major accomplishment.

Reidfumbles2much: Gene, where is Jerry today, faking an illness so the PG won't cut him?

Gene Collier: Jerry Micco is at some how-powered executive type luncheon at the Hilton, and Bob Smizik, who normally fills in so ably, is on vacation, so thanks for being with the third string.

ronin_buc: How frustrated should Pirate fans feel that with the recent winning surge, if the Pirates didn't tank for a month after the All Star Game, this flawed team would be right in the thick of the division race?

Gene Collier: I don't think they should be frustrated at all. There's plenty to be frustrated about with being frustrated about winning. Don't play the what-if game with the likes of these Pirates. As former West Virginia Coach Don Nehlen once said, "If its and buts were candy and nuts, we'd all, uh, something..."

ronin_buc: I little conflicted about the Pirates recent hot streak, want to see them play well, but think Littlefield should not be retained in offseason. Do you think that the Pirates can keep up their solid play in September? Time to lock up Sanchez to a long term contract in the offseason?

Gene Collier: As I've pointed out in the past, it's rare that a National League batting champion winds up being anything but a very solid player for a long time, so I'd say it's important the Pirates sign Freddy within some yet-to-be-established context, which is not to say that he's untouchable. No one is untouchable, including Gorzelanny in this situation. I'd be very surprised if the Pirates had a September like this 17-9 August. or whatever it ends up. When it ends, it'll be their first winning month.

jimmy_g: How far can the West Virginia football team realistically go this year?

Gene Collier: I wouldn't put any limits on WVU.

ronin_buc: Glad to see Steely McBeam not getting any NBC airtime coverage on Sunday's game and heard the stupid mascot was booed while on the field at halftime. Is their a chance the Rooney's let him do kid's off field events and taper off his prescence at Regular Season games?

Gene Collier: So far, McBeam has had not even approached the face time of Duce Staley, but whether that's good or not, I don't know. I know the Rooneys are not terribly enamored of him, so it wouldn't surprised me if he quietly disappeared at some point. That said, I don't know why everyone's so upset about it. There's plenty to be upset about, including the continued absence of cheerleaders. Where are the Terrible Towelettes?

ronin_buc: Should Tomlin be getting all the criticism of not setting the O-Line yet? Don't they have time to gel in practice, also? I think Tomlin is doing a great job so far in all aspects.

Gene Collier: I think Tomlin is really in a tough spot at right tackle. It's not like he's got two great players there and just can't decide whom to sit. He's got one guy (Colon) with virtually no experience, and one guy (Starks) who started on a Super Bowl team but has since played badly enough that he's in a battle with someone with no experience and virtually no football pedigree. Hofstra? So to answer your question, no I don't think Tomlin's deserving of that particular criticism yet. In two weeks, things might be different.

jimmy_g: Since Pat Bostick left the Pitt training camp and then came back there hasn't been much said about him. I assume that he will be the backup QB, right?

Gene Collier: I assume that too and I assume further that Bill Stull is beyond a few bad quarters of being the back-up quarterback himself. Wannstedt's announcement naming Stull the starter was a completely underwhelming endorsement in the he's-what-we've got vein.

Beamy_McSteel: Gene, if you could've picked a name for the Steelers mascot, what would it have been?

Gene Collier: Fluffy.

vivisimo: Terrible Towelettes ... nice. I thought the Pittsburgh Flashdancers would be a good name w/ some kind of a Jennifer Beals get up -- hard hat, short shorts and a beater.

Gene Collier: I'm open to suggestions. I once asked Chuck Noll about the possibility of cheerleaders. He said, "Would it help us win?" No, I said sheepishly, but I remember thinking, would it hurt. As for the McBeam uproar, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I remember when Bill Cowher coached his first game at Three Rivers Stadium, he decided the Steelers bench area would be on the sideline opposite their customary position. People went nuts. He was forced to reconsider before the next game.

Cheese_Chester: My son is 5 years old. When I send him to PSU in 2020, will Joe Paterno still be the Head Coach?

Gene Collier: 2020 huh? That would make Joe, what, 179. Do you know who the Lions opened with in Joe's first year? At Christians.

Beamy_McSteel: Do you think the Steelers will come to rue the day that: 1. they took Lawrence Timmons over Paul Posluszney and 2. they took Matt Spaeth over Tony Hunt?

Gene Collier: I don't if only because the Steelers aren't very good at rue. They generally draft well. The Eagles are good at rue. They drafted Leroy Keyes instead of Joe Greene. I like Tony Hunt a lot, but I'm not down on Timmons or Spaeth yet.

ronin_buc: Do you think Whisenhunt and Grimm will turn the Cardinals into a respectable NFL team?

Gene Collier: I don't know. No one ever has. I like those guys guys and they're very knowledgeable, just like everyone else who has tried the Cardinals on for size and wound up looking beaten.

Reidfumbles2much: Will "hands" Washingotn make the team?

Gene Collier: I think he's made it, barring two or more drops tomorrow night in Carolina. Nate can get open, and the amount of people on NFL rosters at this point who really can't get open is amazingly high.

Cheese_Chester: Should I give the 45.5 this Saturday when USC meets Idaho?

Gene Collier: If you're implying that I would transmit gambling information over the public chatways cheese, you're to be sorely disappointed. Not because I'm appalled, but more because I'm clueless. I don't bet, don't understand the lines, don't understand the lingo, but I'll tell you that someone who does all three told me once that huge favorites almost always cover.

Cheese_Chester: Better actor - Pacino or DeNiro?

Gene Collier: Couldn't make that call until Pacino gets the lead in the Robert DeNiro Story and vice versa.

Kanye: Your column on Cowher's musical career was hilarious. But do you think that he'll ever coach again? Or has he lost all the fire?

Gene Collier: Thanks for that. I don't think he'll coach again. He seems to be enjoying himself immensely and he should. As he mentioned to Mike Zappone last week, he's got more money than he'll ever need, so why would he take over some rebuiding job that would probably only tarnish his record while he can golf, play racquetball, ponder Rachmaninoff's Third Piano Concerto, and misspeak on CBS?

jimmy_g: Good job Gene! You can come back anytime, but don't tell Jerry or Bob that I said so.

Gene Collier: thanks. and thanks to everyone for your excellent questions and particularly for putting up with me today, as this is my first chat with people i can't actually see since the blackout of 1965. Bye now.