James_Taipei: I was wondering how many hits from Taiwan you get on the sports page of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. Does anyone besides myself visit the sports page?

Jerry Micco: James, I don't know how many hits we get from Taiwan, our metrics don't go that deep (at least the ones I see). Most of our hits are from Pittsburgh, and Washington, DC, is second.

James_Taipei: Could Willie Parker possibly play himself off the Steelers if he plays to well this year? My thinking is that the Steelers might have to let him walk if he demands too much money.

Jerry Micco: It's possible, but some of that will depend on how well Mendenhall plays. If the Steelers don't think Mendenhall is their back of the future, they may not be able to let Parker go. But of course if he's too expensive, then they won't sign him. It's a tough situation, so to answer your question, yes, he could be too good to keep. But the Steelers have a way of holding on to the guys they need, so we'll keep an eye on that situation.

Homey: What goes into editing and reviewing internet-only blogs compared to the process for what's in the paper editions?

Jerry Micco: It's different. We give stories that appear in print 2 or 3 edits. Online, it's usually edited after the post. With having your own blog there is a matter of trust involved. Most of our reporters will check with an editor if they think something is borderline. But we do not do the same amount of editing on the blogs as we do on the print product. Part of that is having enough folks to do both. But I can probably count on one hand over two years the times I've seen stuff in our blogs that makes my skin crawl.

Homey: By the time the Steelers play the Vikings in Week 7, do you think they'll be a better team with Favre than they would have been with Rosenfels or Jackson?

Jerry Micco: Absolutely. As much as I think Favre is overhyped, especially over the past several years, he's a better QB than either of those guys you mentioned.

Jacque_Strap: Hi Jerry, this is kind of long so please bear with me. I really enjoyed the two part series on Big Ben, and learned more than a few things I didn?t know. I had heard the negative rumors about the way he acts in public at times, but I defy anyone to face the same situations EVERY time he or she goes out, and come out smelling like roses every time. He could easily just go away and hide when off the field, but I appreciate that he still lives his life. The greatest thing is that he chooses to use his position to do a lot of good things with his time and money, regarding charities and so forth, and even in personal situations we don?t often hear about. To me, basically the pieces showed that he?s a normal human being just like everyone else, with some great qualities and with some flaws. I?ll be rooting for him this year just as hard as I always do, if not harder.

Jerry Micco: Everyone has their opinions about public figures -- whether they be actors, politicians or athletes. I've never seen Ben unless it's in a locker room or on the field. And do we really know how people are in their private lives? Our reporters on that story, who work on city side, did a very good job with a very tough story. I think we gave readers a look at Roethlisberger that they've never seen. Actually, Ed Bouchette touched on some of this a couple of years ago with a piece he did on Ben, but this was longer and more thorough. Ed was up against some time constraints, but still managed to give people a snapshot of how tough it is to be a celebrity, especially a Steeler, in this town.

Jacque_Strap: Did you watch Shaq Vs.? Despite the annoying production, it was a pretty entertaining look at Big Ben behind the scenes. By the way, I think he intentionally missed his first few shots in HORSE. He had a shooting contest against John Salley once on 'The Best D--- Sports Show Period', and Big Ben killed him.

Jerry Micco: I didn't watch the show, but I'm interested to know that you did and liked it. Anyone else see it?

Jacque_Strap: How many questions, on average, does Ed Bouchette receive in one chat session? It would be nice if Gigler (Hi Dan, love the blog) could limit it to one question per chatter (or at least fewer questions per chatter), so that more people have their questions addressed. Last week ten chatters had three or more questions answered, while I was ignored, which is not unusual for Ed?s chat. This week, eight chatters had more than one question answered. Yes, I actually counted, and yes, I am whining.

Jerry Micco: Hey, you make up for it here because I always answer your questions! Seriously, I'll talk to Dan about that to see if we can resolve that issue. Ed's chats are wildly popular so it's almost unwieldy monitoring them. Dan's very good at it, but it's not the easiest chat to monitor because of the high volume.

Jacque_Strap: Who would you rather see -- the somewhat experienced starter (Stull), who I feel has already reached his ceiling, or the promising player (Sunseri). Until Gene's column this morning, I didn't know much about Sunseri. All I know is that I've seen enough of Stull, and Bostick isn't the answer either.

Jerry Micco: I think you got with the guy you think gives you the best chance to win. And if that means it's an underclassman, so be it. Wannstedt is sticking with Stull -- for now. And remember, they've been in pads for what, 3 days?

ajt123: Are you confident that this new current group of Pirates can be the nucleus of the future?\

Jerry Micco: No. I thought Doumit, Maholm, Duke, McLouth, Sanchez, Capps, Wilson, Bay, Nady and Adam LaRoche were the nucleus. In 2 years, all but the 3 pitchers are gone. So I'm very much in a wait-and-see mode. I'm not sure there's enough talent here yet to see a nucleus.

ajt123: I am from Long Island NY,and I go on your sports page at least twice a day.. just for the record! As a former habitant of the area who has been displaced you guys are by far and away the most informed and up to date venue to keep up with the area sports ... Does your online service take away from your print sales at all?

Jerry Micco: We don't think so because we see the two platforms we publish on -- print and online -- as working together. For instance, you are far away, but now you have a chance to get news and information. That translates to web hits and we sell that to advertisers. While advertising on the Web is a mere fraction of what we take in on the print side, it's growing some and bringing in revenue. The circulation of all newspapers is down across the nation. Ours is down, but not as much as others. And thanks for the nice comments. Our staff of reporters and editors works very hard to provide the latest and best information for online and print readers.

praveen: Granted Track & Field is not popular here. But don't you think Usain Bolt's win in the 100M was the marquee event of the weekend trumping even Woods loss? We haven't seen this kind of track star since Carl Lewis.

Jerry Micco: Everyone I heard talking on Monday was talking Tiger. No, I don't think Bolt's magnificent performance was a big as Tiger's fold in the PGA.

Chooch79: I was a bit shocked to learn in Bob Smizik's blog yesterday that Bud Selig earns $18M annually as the MBL commissioner. Do you happen to know how this salary compares to the NFL and NBA commissioners?

Jerry Micco: I'm sorry, I don't.

ajt123: Starting to hear a lot more in regards to an uncapped year and then subsequent lockout for the NFL.. Do you think it happens and how would it affect the Steelers in general?

Jerry Micco: I think they'll get some type of settlement, even if it's a stopgap. I don't know how an uncapped year would affect the Steelers. Ed's much better than me at salary cap issues.

praveen: The Steelers premium service offered by your local competitor is discontinuing service. Need I say with the coverage we get from Ed, their services were not giving us actually less than what we got here.

Jerry Micco: We feel with our Steelers coverage, headed by Ed Bouchette and Gerry Dulac with an assist from Chuck Finder (and others when needed), is one of our signature successes at the PG. Ed's been around the beat for a long time is and excellent reporter. Gerry is, too. We hope to make it tough on all of our competitors when it comes to Steelers coverage. That includes, ESPN, Foxsports.com, etc.

Copanut: Type Jerry - what surprising cuts / adds if any do you foresee coming from Steelers' preseason?

Jerry Micco: Too early for me to tell. Though Isaac Redman could be a surprise keep and maybe at the expense of Carey Davis. Though I know they like Frank "The Tank" Summers, he's going to have to make it on special teams, I think.

praveen: TYPO: i meant, their services were actually giving us less than we got here.

Jerry Micco: Oh, well that's not much if you're paying extra for that.

Chooch79: Jerry, how soon until the PG initiates their annual WPIAL high school football rankings?

Jerry Micco: We'll have our preseason WPIAL rankings in our first edition of Varsity Xtra, which publishes on Aug. 27. Xtra is our weekly, more in-depth, look at area high schools that we started last year. Readers responded very well to it, as did advertisers, so we're bringing it back.

praveen: Shaq didn't look bad on the football field in the Shaq vs Big Ben show last night.

Jerry Micco: As I said earlier, I didn't watch the program. But I can imagine his hands must've made the football look like a Christmas tree ornament.

praveen: I personally think Big Ben has nothing to worry about in the Vegas case. This doesn't seem as preplanned as the Bettis setup, but the emerging accounts are not favorable to the alleged victim. Reading your paper's in depth account of Ben's life, I wish he would stop being cheap with his money in public. That was one thing that follows Michael Jordan when he eats out.

Jerry Micco: The Nevada case is ongoing, so we'll just have to see how it plays out. I'm not sure people with a lot of money stay that way because they are a bit tight in the wallet. Hey, it's his money, not mine. Not that I'd mind just a chunk of it. I got a boy in college and one going in 3 years, so....

ajt123: Is Ed B. as grumpy in real life as he is in his chats???

Jerry Micco: You have to understand Ed. That's just Ed being Ed. He's not grumpy. Actually, he's got a good sense of humor and knows of what he speaks. Just go there for the great information and you'll get what you need. Now remember, too, if Ed has an inside story or scoop, he has to be careful because we don't know who is in these chats. So he may couch an answer with a quick answer for that reason. But believe me, Ed would be a good guy to have a beer with. But like the team he covers, he's constantly getting emails, etc., asking questions because of the popularity of the team. Sometimes, he has to be short and sweet.

praveen: Jerry and Jacque, it evens out. I had two questions answered. But there are weeks where I have none answered. His time will come.

Jerry Micco: Good advice, praveen.

Mister_14-point-0: Why was the 17-2 Pirate loss on A-1 above the fold? I know that wasn't your call, but there are hundreds of more worthy topics than a baseball game.

Jerry Micco: Well, it was just such a low point during their lowest point that we felt a need to put it out there. It was all a lot of folks were talking about. I was on vacation during that week, but I understand Dejan Kovacevic discussed the story as a possible A1 story with my deputy, Donna Eyring. Donna pitched it and it made the front.

Chooch79: Jerry, following up on the popularity of Ed's chat, have you explored any possible sponsors specific to the just chat sessions? Just wondering if this might be a source for some additional revenue.

Jerry Micco: We've hit up a lot of sponsors/advertisers for all sorts of things. Once the economy straightens out a bit, we may get more come onto the site. But chats are just a once-a-week thing, unlike the Steelers page or our home page, so they may be a tougher sell.

praveen: Here is my pricing suggestion for the Pirates. As long as they field a minor league level team, they have to give locals an even bigger price break. But that won't happen on a per game basis. So just ramp up the buy one get another game free promotions while the visting fans get to pay full price to see their team get a near guaranteed win.

Jerry Micco: You sure you aren't doing marketing for the Pirates? That's not a half-bad idea.

Mister_14-point-0: Why was Y.E. Yang able to take down Tiger Woods on a Sunday but Phil Mickelson can't?

Jerry Micco: Yang seemed so focused and hit three incredible shots coming in on 14, 16 and 18. And Tiger missed a lot of putts he normally makes, especially when Phil is his opponent. And Yang didn't get into the deep trouble that seems to plague Mickelson in majors.

Homey: Not sure if anyone has mentioned it in a chat yet, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that you sent someone to Nova Scotia to cover the Crosby parade. That was good reading.

Jerry Micco: I will tell Shelly Anderson you said that. We contemplated going a lot of places with the Cup, but settled instead for doing a couple of big stories (like Sid) instead. We got good access there, which isn't always the case when you try to follow the Cup. The NHL controls the public showing and the players aren't always so giving of their time as Sid was for Shelly, who as the backup Pens writer, has forged a good relationship with him.

Mike_Florio: Hello Jerry, I am hearing lots of rumors that the suit against Ben R. will be dropped soon. Do you have any comment?

Jerry Micco: None. I have no idea and have not heard anything about it.

PhillyMarty: Given that STEELERS' team leadership seems to be quite aware of the mistakes made post SBXL, given that most observers thought we survived a tough schedule last year, and it appears that this year's schedule which includes 4 games vs. the AFC West and NFC North is appreciably weaker, if the STEELERS do win their opener, they conceivably could embark on a long winning streak. Other than the visit from SD, it is possible that there next tough game may not take place until Thanksgiving weekend in Balt. I know things do change from year to year, but is this thinking realistic? The O-line can't be worse. I tend to be more realistic than most about the home town teams, but if Ben stays healthy, this season seems very promising.

Jerry Micco: I think it can be a 12-win season, so I share your optimism, Marty. However, you never know what team you think is bad, all of a sudden gets very good. Like Cincinnati. Some folks think they will be much better this season. And Minnesota is better with Favre and Adrian Peterson, coupled with a good defense. The Packers are talented at WR, and the Bears are going to be better with Jay Cutler. All that said, I still think the schedule can translate to 12 wins.

Mister_14-point-0: Have you seen the Stanley Cup this summer? Seems like everyone has a story or a cell phone picture from a party or random viewing.

Jerry Micco: I've not seen it up close, though there was a photo of me, put up in the office last year, of me nearly running into Nicklas Lidstrom in the press room as he walked by with the Cup after his press conference.

ajt123: Who has the greatest chance at repeating this year - the Pens or the Steelers?

Jerry Micco: Penguins, only because I think the NFL is so good and so balanced.

Homey: Can you explain the big deal in the media about "breaking" a story? To the fan, I don't really care if one outlet reports something 5 milliseconds before everyone else. In this internet era, things seem to break all over at basically the same time.

Jerry Micco: Having it right is more important than having it first, so let me get that out of the way. That said, we want to be the media outlet people feel they need to come to for all their Pittsburgh news. We don't want ESPN to beat us on Pittsburgh sports news. Or any other outlet, national or local, for that matter. We do it for people who are our customers because we think that's the service they want. To know that the information is correct and beats the competition.

Copanut: Jerry - I love the PBC Blog element of the PG; but the Blog and Gold really seems to be lacking substance and meaningful information. Seems to be just a bunch of photos. Any chance to upgrade this Blog element?

Jerry Micco: We use the blog n' gold element as a fans site. More lighter stuff, photos, etc. I'd say stay tuned for more news on Steelers and blogging. And keep reading the Q&A's, chats, stories, etc. Plenty there.

king_moonracer: When does Pitt Basketball Q & A start back up? I get depressed everytime I click on Sports and have to see "Revisiting the last five seconds of the Villanova game ... "

Jerry Micco: Ray likely will begin that in October or November, once practices get going on a regular basis.

TellyPenguinExplodes: Type here Any ideas as to the reasons for Mendenhall's ordinary performance. He blew the doors off the competition in a few college games. Is he being tentative or trying to hard to run the play exactly as diagrammed?

Jerry Micco: He's still really a rookie because he missed most of last year, so he's still learning. That said, he needs to be better and I think as the preseason rolls along, we'll see improvement. He was too good a back to be a mediocre player. And it is the preseason, so not every play and every player is going 100 percent.

PhillyMarty: How does the MLBPA feel about the shenanigans Boras seems to get away with every year with his first round signing bonuses? We know it is not good for competitive balance and you would think somehow it has to impact on the total pool available for veterans negotiating renewals. Seems like in the interest of the vets, the union would be happy to reign in Boras via caps on college, high school and foreign players?

Jerry Micco: Or, they think the bar is raised for guys who have never put on a major league uniform, so when Albert Pujols asks for money, his agent says, "well, the rookie in DC got 15 mil, we'll start at 32 mil a year and work from there." But your point is well taken, Marty. At some point, MLB will have to look at this issue. But remember, this is the only major sport without any type of salary cap, and the MLBPA does not seem interested in talking about one.

Mister_14-point-0: I'd recommend the Shaq show. He is a funny guy and a great athlete. I think he's supposed to swim in a future episode.

Jerry Micco: That should be interesting. He's a big guy with a big body. I'm a small guy with a big body and I just generally sink.

Chunkles: Jerry, now that the Pirates have hit rock bottom AGAIN and are on their FOURTH 5 year plan, why dont they do like a lot of the NFL teams do and bring in a young, hungry coach who can motivate these kids? [Prospects] The perfect guy would be Andy Van Slyke. He was a good player, not afraid to speak his mind, and seems to be a younger version of Jim Leyland. [Minus the smoking!]

Jerry Micco: You have to be careful when you have young guys that the manager isn't always on them. Things are different than they were 20 years ago. I'm not a huge Russell fan, nor am I advocating his removal. He's patient and tries to talk up the team. He's not been dealt a fair hand with all these unproven guys. I think you give him next year and maybe one more. If there's some upswing, then fine. If not, like Huntingdon, he could be gone.

praveen: Jerry, my prediction is Steelers go 14-2. NE will be the other team that vies for the top spot. I think Titans, Colts, Chargers make the playoffs. What do you think, Jerry?

Jerry Micco: It's tough to go 14-2 in the NFL, but I'd not be stunned if the Steelers did go. As far as playoffs, the Titans, Patriots and Chargers should be locks. As for the wild cards, maybe the Ravens and Colts. I think the Bengals will be better and could surprise as a wild card. And how about Miami? Maybe they'll sneak back in. Too early to tell, though.

PhillyMarty: Praveen, guaranteed win? Bucs are 30-27 at PNC.

Jerry Micco: If they could just play better on the road, they'd be competitive because as you point out Marty, they are very competitive at home.

praveen: Ben showed a very funny sense of humor on the Shaq show. Good timing for him.

Jerry Micco: I think that's Ben's off-field element. Nothing at stake, everything is fun and the fans adore him. The event is made to make athletes feel that way so their best comes out in front of a large TV audience.

TellyPenguinExplodes: For nearly 30 years, I have been predicting that baseball would essentially divide into two leagues. The first would consist of the big market, big money teams. The second would consist of the smaller market teams which are not being subsidized. Look at the situations this year with the five teams with the worst records. We are still sliding into a two league world. I am very frustrated that the small market owners do not band together and do something about it. They could for example refuse to share the gate with certain visiting teams, until a salary cap is adopted. Why is it that baseball is the only sport with an anti-trust exemption, and it has become the worst in terms of competitive balance.

Jerry Micco: But then how do you explain teams like Colorado and the Marlins contending? Or the Giants, who no longer have that huge payroll. Yes, the bottom teams are there for a number of reasons, but market size has little to do with it. The Mets are seven games under .500. They are in a huge market. The White Sox are 2 games over .500 and in a huge market. It depends on your ownerships' willingness to pay for players out of pocket. It depends on your attendance (see: Dodgers and Angels). It depends on how you develop players in the minors. If you develop your own players, you can be exceptional even on a small payroll (see: early 2000s A's; Twins; Diamondbacks).

PhillyMarty: Brett Favre's QB rating was 81 (21 st in the NFL) with Alan Faneca and a better group blocking for him. Ben's was 80.1 (24th). Am I the only guy who thinks Favre should have stayed retired and the hype is much ado about a washed up QB who always through too many INT's even in his halcyon days?

Jerry Micco: Ring him up, Rosie. Question of the day. You are not alone, Marty.

Mister_14-point-0: No one is going to confuse Big East football with the SEC, but how can Pitt go into the season as the favorite to win the conference and have Bill Stull starting at qb? That's embarrassing.

Jerry Micco: Again, they've not played a game yet and while Wannstedt has tabbed Stull as the starter, there is not a game until Sept. 5. And no, the Big East is not the SEC, so that's part of the answer.

Jeremy_spoke_in_class_today: How bad is Big East football if Pitt is the pre-season favorite?

Jerry Micco: See above. However, I think Pitt could be a very good team in an OK conference. If the QB play is solid and the RBs step up, they could win 10 games. If the defense is as advertised, they could be pretty good.

ajt123: I think Dejans' reporting and coverage is single handedly keeping interest in the Pirates.. I dont think there is anyone better in the industry!!!

Jerry Micco: I'll be happy to pass that on to Dejan. He, again with an assist from Chuck Finder, our most versatile reporter, and Colin Dunlap, Dejan has done a great job covering all aspects of the team. A team does not have to be good to be covered well. Dejan proves that daily.

PhillyMarty: STEELERS won 12 last year. I'm thinking that if Balt pushes them they might win 13 or 14? However, Balt may step back without DC Ryan, Bart Scott, Ray Lewis a year older.

Jerry Micco: And remember, too, Flacco is in his second year. It's not as easy in Year 2 as in Year 1. That's why I say, watch for the Bengals.

Homey: I know you're not a big soccer guy, but it's certainly growing in popularity in the U.S. With that said, have you thought about what type of coverage you'll have for the 2010 World Cup?

Jerry Micco: Probably what we had for the last Cup, relying on the wires to do our coverage. And we devoted nearly a page a day to the Cup, which in a world of tighter sports sections (space wise) is quite a bit.

Chooch79: Although the Raisin asked the NFL not to schedule their 12/27 game against the Steelers at night, can't the league still change it as part of their flex schedule?

Jerry Micco: Yes they can.

ajt123: Do you ever interact with Stan Savran? Would you or have you ever considered doing any joint productions with him?

Jerry Micco: I see Stan at Steelers games, but rarely anywhere else. Stan's a professional TV guy and is comfortable in that venue. I do newspapers and while I'm comfortable on television, I'm not in Stan's class there. Just like the Steelers postgame call-in show I do with Bob Pompeani. Thank goodness he's patient and smooth. He's had to deal with me for the past 3 years or so. I have fun doing it, but I'm always nervous. Hope that doesn't show too much.

Jerry Micco: Folks, I need to run back to some other business. Thanks for the great questions and tremendous turnout. This is great all around because there's so much to discuss. I'll see you next Wednesday at noon and we'll see what's up in the sports world then. In the meantime, have a great week and thanks for taking the time today.