Give the Bucs an A
By John Mehno

You know the euphoria that erupts when a perennial "C" student unexpectedly brings home a report card that includes an "A" grade?

That's the principle behind all the enthusiasm that has surrounded the Pirates' acquisition of power-hitting first baseman Adam LaRoche from the Atlanta Braves. You never expected them to do anything at all, much less something that looks this good. It's the kind of fundamental management principle the Pirates haven't followed much lately: Identify a surplus and use it to trade for a need. They have other pitchers who have a good chance to take over the spot vacated by closer Mike Gonzalez; they didn't have anyone to provide the lefthanded power that LaRoche brings.

So one year after they shredded $14.2 million on Sean Casey and Jeromy Burnitz because they batted lefthanded, they've acquired a player who nicely fits a critical need and has a chance to stick around for a few years.

In the context of this franchise's last 14 seasons, that's nothing short of amazing.

In other matters:

o Last summer Fox Sports Net Pittsburgh dropped Mike Lange from its Penguins telecasts, and it looked as though Lange's career here might be over after more than 30 years. Instead, it's been reborn.

Lange is doing an exceptional job on Penguins radio. He's on top of the play, he's conversational, and he's avoiding all the silly digressions that were stealing his attention on TV. It helps that the Penguins are competitive for the first time in several years, of course.

Radio play-by-play demands that the announcer stick with the action. Lange has met the challenge of his new role well.

o It's completely off base to suggest the Steelers hired Mike Tomlin because they wanted to support the "Rooney Rule," which requires NFL teams to consider qualified minority candidates.

Dan Rooney is all about business. How much? He once fired his brother as scouting director because he thought that move would make the organization better.

o Here's hoping Tomlin has the good sense to go 16-0 and cover the point spread in every postseason game. Pittsburgh is a tough town when it comes to the Steelers.

o The debate over Mark McGwire's worthiness for the Hall of Fame demonstrates again why people who cover baseball shouldn't be voting. The concept no longer fits the times. Most newspapers, including the Post-Gazette, won't let their writers serve as official scorers for baseball games because they don't want them to influence the news.

If that's a conflict of interest - and it is - voting on the Hall of Fame is a much bigger conflict.

John Mehno has been covering Pittsburgh sports since 1974. He can be reached online at: johnmehno@lycos.com.