The Sports Monitor

Best wishes to you for a great 2012!

The Penn State football coaching search can't be going very well. If you're considering hiring former Browns and Jets coach Eric Mangini, well, you're in trouble. Browns fans probably would like to forget about the Mangini years. Jets fans probably have the same thoughts. Why would Penn State want Mangini? Maybe they're desperate. Maybe the program isn't what they thought. Maybe candidates are scared off by what might happen down the road. Maybe they just don't know. After all, when was the last time Penn State had to look for a coach? Mike Munchak, Tony Dungy and Chris Peterson (Boise State) all have denied any interest. Meanwhile, many schools, including Pitt, have filled their vacancies. Whenever Penn State names a coach, that person will be behind on the recruiting trail. Nittany Lions fans should just hope that person isn't Eric Mangini.

I don't believe for a minute that Ben Roethlisberger is healthy enough to play against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. Could he hobble around and throw the ball? Yep. Is it worth the risk? Nope. The Steelers should know around kickoff if their game against the Browns has any meaning. If the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Baltimore Ravens, then a Steelers' win gives them the AFC North title. If the Ravens win -- and I think they will -- then the Steelers' game is meaningless. Roethlisberger should sit either way. The Steelers shouldn't risk further injury to Big Ben. I understand his desire to play. But the Steelers need to understand the need to keep him healthy. Do you think the Browns would like a shot at injuring him as payback for Colt McCoy's concussion? I do. Any playoff run needs Roethlisberger to be as close to 100 percent as possible. I don't see how letting him play gets him closer to that goal.

Sometimes, perception doesn't equal reality. That's the case with the Miami Heat's victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Christmas Day. My guess is you have seen or will see headlines saying "Heat get revenge," or something along those lines. The Heat really can't get revenge for their loss to the Mavericks in last season's NBA Finals on opening day. They can't. They could beat the Mavs in the Finals this year. That would be revenge. We have a while to go to see if that can happen.

Enjoy the holidays!

I can't blame the Pittsburgh Steelers for starting a hobbled Ben Roethlisberger against the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night. A win put them in the driver's seat in the AFC, and Roethlisberger gave the Steelers the best chance to win. It didn't work out. It was obvious that Roethlisberger had trouble and it hurt the Steelers throughout the night. He couldn't scramble, he couldn't follow through on his throws and he couldn't heave the long ball. I can't imagine Charlie Batch or Dennis Dixon doing much worse. After all, the Steelers scored just three points. With little chance to win the division, coach Mike Tomlin should rest Roethlisberger the rest of the season. He should give Big Ben a big break, let him heal as much as possible and have him ready for the playoffs. The Baltimore Ravens aren't going to lose in the next two weeks against the Browns and Bengals, which would wrap up the AFC North. That makes these next two games against ...

It was all there for the Pittsburgh Steelers to take. The inside track for the top seed in the AFC playoffs, a game up on the Ravens for the division title, a chance for a bye week. Instead, the Steelers short-circuited Monday night against the San Francisco 49ers. Ben Roethlisberger didn't have the magic this time, throwing three interceptions and losing a fumble. It was a heroic effort by Roethlisberger to take the field, but the performance wasn't there. The usually strong defense gave up 20 points to a team that's struggled scoring touchdowns. One night earlier, the Ravens lost on their trip cross country to face the San Diego Chargers. You would think the Steelers would have taken notice. Instead, the Steelers flopped on Monday Night, a game that was delayed 35 minutes by two power outages at Candlestick Park. The power certainly was missing from the offense. Now the Steelers will need a Christmas miracle to gain the division title. It looks like any...