PITTSBURGH - The Pittsburgh Steelers are officially on vacation.
Coach Mike Tomlin turned them loose a day early from mini-camp, which means the players are on their own until they're obligated to report for training camp on July 25.
In this case, though, "vacation" is really a misnomer. This is the point on the calendar where most players step up their workouts with the idea of being in prime shape as camp opens.
It remains to be seen if receiver Mike Wallace will be on hand when camp starts. Wallace hasn't done anything with the team since the season ended. He doesn't have a contract for the upcoming season, and he doesn't have many options beyond taking the Steelers' $2.7 million offer.
If you're comfortable with the idea the Steelers don't need Wallace, you shouldn't be.
Antonio Brown had a great season last year. Wallace faltered in the second half. But one of the reasons things played out that way was Wallace's presence drew plenty of defensive attention.
That made it tougher for him to make plays, and set up circumstances that made Brown more of a go-to guy.
Brown is a talent, no question. At some point, the salary cap will force the Steelers to make decisions. It always does.
Just don't be too quick to plan for a future without Wallace.
Up-Root-ed
The only surprise in Root Sports' decision to fire Lacee Collins is the timing.
There were suggestions last season that neither Root nor the Pirates were especially happy with her jittery work as an in-game reporter. But she came back this year, only to be dropped less than halfway through the season.
Perhaps that means Root already has her replacement in mind and can make a quick transition.
There are at least three interested candidates locally: In alphabetical order, they're Aly Cohen, one of the in-game video hosts at PNC Park, Katie O'Malley, who has done TV and in-game work for the Penguins for several years, and Kristy Robinson, a current website reporter who has TV credits.
Question
Just asking, because I don't know the answer: Do kids still collect baseball cards?
Or is that just a quaint notion in a tech-crazed world where you can watch streaming video on your phone?
Mehno can be reached at johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com.
