PITTSBURGH - Mid-week commentary on the news.
n The Pittsburgh Steelers lose their opener at Baltimore.
Lose? They didn't just lose. They got smoked like an Easter ham, hammered like a four-inch nail, kicked like a rusty tin can, stomped like a picnic ant
Well, you get the idea.
It was ugly, and unexpected.
No one ruled out the possibility they could lose. Nobody expected the kind of one-sided embarrassment it became.
Seven turnovers will pretty much doom a team every time, but there was more than that.
The Steelers' defense didn't stop the Ravens.
That's led to familiar cries about the defense being too old, and maybe there's something to it.
It's impossible to make judgments after one terrible game.
This week's home game against Seattle gives the Steelers a chance to regroup.
The Steelers have been down this road before, although not recently.
In 1989, they started the season with a 51-0 home loss to Cleveland. Things didn't get much better the following week, when they lost, 41-10, in Cincinnati.
But the Steelers righted themselves and finished that season 9-7.
The players from the '89 team are all retired now, but the lesson stays the same.
The first game, no matter how bad or good, doesn't define a team's season.
That's some hope to hold on to after a terrible opener.
n ESPN's Ron Jaworski apologizes for cursing on the air.
It's every announcer's nightmare: You get so comfortable talking with your partner that you forget you're on the air.
Jim Rooker had a similar gaffe once when he was doing Pirates games.
It happens (pun intended), but, amazingly, not that often.
Bob Prince did Pirates games for 28 years and never slipped on the air.
That was incredible, because Prince was the kind of guy who could use a handful of profanities just to say hello. There was no venom attached; it was just the style he developed from being around baseball all those years.
Jaworski's slip was no big deal, but there are broadcast standards. He'll be in a heavy self-editing mode for the rest of the season.
n There's one real pennant race left in baseball.
That's the American League West battle between the Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Angels.
Otherwise, the only September scoreboard watching is being done by gamblers.
Mehno can be reached at johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com.
