The Sports Monitor

Who's the best wide receiver in the NFL? Calvin Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, Greg Jennings and Andre Johnson come to mind. Mike Wallace? He's not in that company yet. If a Sacramento Bee report is correct, Wallace wants to be paid more than Fitzgerald. We're talking more than the eight-year, $120 million deal Fitz signed last year. That's some serious cash. It good be good news for the Steelers keeping Wallace in 2012. It's bad news when he's an unrestricted free agent.

Congratulations to the Pitt basketball team on a 20-win season after beating Butler 68-62 in overtime. My question as they enter the best-of-three College Basketball Invitational championship series next week against Washington State: If they win the CBI, will they hang a banner? And what would that banner say, "We're No. 101"?

Thud. That was the hammer coming down on the New Orleans Saints for their bounty program. Coach Sean Payton was suspended for a year, former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams was suspended indefinitely, general manager Mickey Loomis was suspended for eight games, and the team will lose a second-round pick in 2012 and 2013. That's what happens when commissioner Roger Goodell stresses player safety and Bountygate breaks out. The Saints got what they deserved. Goodell needed to send a message. I'm sure the rest of the league heard. I just can't help but think this won't put an end to it. The players will be much more secretive in the future.

Hines Ward is a class act. Today, he'll be known as a Pittsburgh Steeler for life after announcing his retirement. Hopefully, he'll be known as a Hall of Famer several years down the road.

I look at the Denver Broncos' pursuit of Peyton Manning and I see an intricate storyline. It's almost like AMC's "The Killing," where multiple plots are weaved together. If you missed "The Killing" or are boycotting the show because of its Season 1 ending, try a more popular example, "Seinfeld," where two plots meet at the end. First, there's Manning's search for a new home after the Indianapolis Colts decided to go in a different direction. While there are plenty of people hailing the Broncos as Super Bowl contenders with Manning as quarterback, let's not crown them -- or Manning -- just yet. Manning missed the entire season with multiple neck surgeries. He's also 36. Those are two big strikes against him. He'll also be without All-Pro receivers like Marvin Harrison or Reggie Wayne. Manning's top running back, Willis McGahee, will hit an over-the-hill-for-a-running-back 31 during the 2012 season. And will th...

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Sidney's back. That's great news for Penguins fans. The hottest team in the NHL (9-game winning streak) gets the best player on the planet back -- with apologies to Evgeni Malkin, the likely MVP. There's only one question I have going into Thursday's return of Crosby against the first-place Rangers. Will he finish the season? My fear is he's the next Eric Lindros, someone who will be forced to retire because of concussions. However, I'm not sold on Crosby being the next Lindros. My hope is the neck injury was more of a cause of his latest setback than anything else. If that's the case, and he just happened to be an athlete who had a concussion, the Penguins will be fine. With the playoffs near and the intensity higher than it was when Crosby made his brief return earlier in the season, I think we'll find out soon enough.