The New York Knicks fans have been chanting MVP…. and it’s not for Amare Stoudemire or Carmelo Anthony.

Second-year player Jeremy Lin has been showered those chants.

Now don’t get me wrong. He’s not an MVP candidate, but Lin had another standout performance in tonight’s 107-93 win at Washington against the lowly 5-21 Wizards.

Only the 3-22 Charlotte Bobcats and the 4-22 New Orleans Hornets are worse.

Come on, M.J. Your Bobcats have lost 12 straight. Fix that.

Now back to Lin.

He had 23 points and 10 assists in tonight’s win. In his last three games, which have all ended in wins for the Knicks, Lin is averaging 25.3 points and 8.3 assists.

Lin is on fire.

Rookie goaltender Devin Williams deserved a better outcome Wednesday night.

He stopped 33-of-34 shots in the opening 65 minutes and four more in a six-round shootout in his third career OHL start. Yet the Erie Otters still lost to Owen Sound 2-1 in front of 2,135 at Tullio Arena.

Daniel Catenacci, who scored the Attack’s lone goal in the second period, slipped a wrist shot past Williams on the game’s final attempt to hand the Otters (7-38-3-2) their second straight defeat.

“He’s got a great temperament,” Otters coach Robbie Ftorek said of Williams. “He just goes about his business. The guys play hard in front of him. Too bad we couldn’t get that (win) for him.”

Stephen Harper erased the Attack’s early 1-0 lead in the shootout with a goal in the second round. The rookie winger’s tying goal 3 minutes, 27 seconds into the third period forced overtime and the shootout.

Williams and Attack veteran Jordan Binnington traded saves in the next three rounds. Then Binnington began the final round by stopping rookie Travis Wood. Catenacci followed with the decisive goal.

Ftorek also called upon Dane Fox, Luke Cairns and rookies Connor Brown and Mitchell Eisenberg. Sondre Olden, one of the team’s best offensive performers, surprisingly wasn’t involved in the shootout. When asked about that, Ftorek said he believed the players he used “were going to score for us.”

* News and notes: Anthony Cortellessa (sore back muscle) rejoined the Otters’ lineup after missing both games last weekend. … Liam Maaskant was a healthy scratch while fellow Wood stepped in on defense.

- Victor Fernandes

SUMMARY

Attack 2, Otters 1

Owen Sound  0  1  0  0  1  —  2

Erie  0  0  1  0  0  —  1

1^st Period — None. Penalties — McGuire (E) 5-min. fighting, :07; Zweep (O) 5-min. fighting, :07; McGuire (E) game misconduct, :07; Zweep (O) game misconduct, :07; Eisenberg (E) tripping, 2:40; Harper (E) tripping, 17:36; Bigras (O) hooking, 18:42.

2^nd Period — 1. Owen Sound, Daniel Catenacci 26 (Gavrus, Halmo), 17:14 (pp). Penalties — Hope (O) delay of game, 2:56; Williams (E) delay of game (served by Betz), 4:15; Cutting (O) cross checking, 9:58; Donnay (E) 5-min. fighting, 12:59; Gabriel (O) 5-min. fighting, 12:59; Fox (E) instigating, 16:53; Fox (E) 5-min. fighting, 16:53; Dotchin (O) 5-min. fighting, 16:53; Fox (E) 10-min. misconduct, 16:53; Rose (O) tripping, 18:36.

3^rd Period — 2. Erie, Stephen Harper 17 (Betz, Evans), 3:27. Penalties — Cortellessa (E) 5-min. fighting, 7:37; Blandisi (O) 5-min. fighting, 7:37.

Overtime — None. Penalties — None.

Shootout — Fox (E) no goal; Gavrus (O) goal; Harper (E) goal; Blandisi (O) no goal; Eisenberg (E) no goal; Bigras (O) no goal; Cairns (E) no goal; Brace (O) no goal; Brown (E) no goal; Rose (O) no goal; Wood (E) no goal; Catenacci (O) goal.

Shots on goal — Owen Sound, 9-8-14-3-1—35; Erie, 8-8-11-3-0—30.

Goaltenders — Owen Sound, Jordan Binnington 15-13-0-1 (30 shots, 29 saves); Erie, Devin Williams 1-1-0-1 (34 shots, 33 saves).

Power plays — Owen Sound (1-4), Erie (0-4).

Referees — Mike Cairns, Chris Carnegie. Linesmen — R.J. King, Daryl Wolfe.

Attendance — 2,135.

Three stars

* Jordan Binnington, Attack (29 saves, 5 SO saves) ** Devin Williams, Otters (33 saves, 4 SO saves) *** Stephen Harper, Otters (goal, SO goal)

The Pittsburgh Steelers have made some minor roster moves. They announced today on their team site the terms of the moves.

They have signed CB Myron Rolle, WR Juamorris Stewart, and LB Brandon Hicks. Rolle, who played college ball at Florida State, was one of the best players at his position coming out of high school.

Rolle played safety for the Seminoles before making the switch to corner in the NFL. He is better known for his decision to opt-out of the 2009 Draft in order to pursue a Master of Science Degree at Oxford University. He was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the 6th round of the 2010 Draft, then released him prior to this season.

In addition to adding these three players, the Steelers have terminated the contracts of CB Bryant McFadden and WR Arnaz Battle. They have also waived LB Erik Clanton and TE Miguel Chavis.

Sign, sign, everywhere a sign, blockin' out the scenery, breakin' my mind.

The Steelers made some roster moves today, releasing cornerback Bryant McFadden and wide receiver Arnaz Battle.

A second-round pick out of Florida State by the Steelers in 2005, McFadden spent four seasons in Pittsburgh before signing with the Arizona Cardinals in 2009. Traded back to Pittsburgh in 2010, McFadden had 74 tackles and two interceptions as a 16-game starter that season before playing in a reserve role in 2011.

McFadden was set to earn $2.5 million in base salary in 2012, which will come off the team’s salary cap.

Battle joined the Steelers as a free agent in 2010. In 25 games over the last two seasons, Battle has 13 special teams tackles and zero receptions. Battle was due to earn $1.0375 million in base salary next season.

In addition to releasing McFadden and Battle, the Steelers have signed cornerback Myron Rolle, wide receiver Juamorris Stewart and linebacker Brandon Hicks to “Reserve/Futures” contracts.

A memo to employees of DonJon Shipbuilding & Repair dated Feb. 8 reveals a positive trend at the business located on Erie’s bayfront.
The three paragraph note from company owner J. Arnold Witte, which was circulated around town by Erie officials, updated the company’s employees on the receipt of a $753,224 grant from the state that was a reimbursement for money DonJon had spent on improvements to the bayside plant.
The note also was meant as a thank you to the employees for their performance and productivity. To back his words with a deed, he said each employee – and there are about 200 of them – will be getting an extra $100 in next week’s paycheck. In addition, the company will be making contributions in the amount of $5,000 to local charities.
But the best news he saved for last: “Finally, with some risk, I am very happy to tell you we seem to have begun to turn the corner to profitability with our strong winter work schedule. In light of this positive change, we will also be making a contribution to your qualified profit sharing retirement plan next week.”

read more

read more

read more

I’m totally stoked after a fantastic cooking session for my column: Gumbo for 2/15, Shrimp and Cheesy Grits for 2/22, and Linguini with Roasted Tomatoes and Feta for 2/29. Rave reviews coming in from co-workers.
Speaking of my co-workers, and food, I’ll tell you as a department we eat very well. Meaning both a lot and yummy food. I bring my stuff in, Marnie Oberle brings her stuff in, and once a month, just for the heck of it, we all bring enough stuff in to feed most of the newsroom all day long.. Even the people who don’t write about food love to cook, and we’re usually up to our hips in enough dips, soup, sweets, and snacks to last 10 men 10 days.
We exchange recipes and bandy about cooking ideas and food finds. And speaking of food finds, Fiona Branton, who I mentioned in my column today, just shared with me what looks to be a killer recipe for Butternut Squash Lasagna. Thought you might like to see it, too.
Butternut Squash Lasagna
6 main dish or 12 side-dish servings.
3 pounds butternut squash (about 9 1/2 cups flesh), peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Kosher salt
4 cups low-fat milk
2 large sprigs rosemary
1 tablespoon minced garlic
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
4 tablespoons flour
9 no-boil lasagna sheets (7 by 3 1/2 inches each; use fresh ones if you can find them)
1 1/3 cups (about 5 ounces) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with aluminum foil.
2. Toss the diced squash with the oil in a large bowl until well coated. Spread in a single layer on the baking sheets. Roast for 10 minutes, then sprinkle with salt to taste. Stir the squash and roast for 10 to 15 minutes, or until tender and beginning to turn golden brown.
3. While the squash is roasting, heat the milk in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the rosemary and cook for 10 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a large pitcher or measuring cup.
4. Melt the butter with the garlic in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes, to form a roux. Remove the pan from the heat and add the warm milk mixture in a steady stream, stirring until smooth. Return the pan to medium-low or low heat and cook for about 10 minutes, until the sauce has thickened. Add the squash and salt and pepper to taste, stirring to combine. (At this point, the mixture can be refrigerated in a bowl with plastic wrap directly on the surface.)
5. When ready to bake, reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
6. Pour 1 cup of the squash-sauce mixture in the bottom of the dish (it will not cover completely). Cover with 3 lasagna sheets, making sure they are not touching each other. Spread half of the remaining sauce over the pasta and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the Parmesan. Repeat with another layer of pasta, then the remaining sauce, then another 1/2 cup of Parmesan, and finally a layer of pasta on top.
7. Combine the cream and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on low to start then on high for several minutes until stiff peaks form. Spread evenly over the top pasta layer, making sure to cover the pasta completely. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan. Cover tightly with easy-release/no stick aluminum foil and bake in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, then bake for 10 minutes, or until the top is bubbling and golden. Let the lasagna stand 5 minutes before serving.
– The Washington Post, November 4, 2009

I saw this on Alycia’s site the other day and thought it was super cute.

Here’s the questions:

1. What’s your name?
2. Blog URL
3. Write: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
4. Favorite quote
5. Favorite song at the moment
6. Favorite band/singers at the moment
7. Say anything you want
8. Tag 3-5 bloggers to do this meme too!

Glade is giving away 2,900 PlugIns Scented Oil Starter Kits this month.

The kit contains a scented oil warmer that you plug into a wall socket and a Lavendar & Peach Blossom scented oil, according to SC Johnson’s Right at Home website.

To sign up for the Glade Leap-Year Giveaway, go to https://www.rightathome.com/Offers/Pages/default.aspx

The hire of Todd Haley to replace Bruce Arians as offensive coordinator is surely a sign that changes are coming to Pittsburgh.

Haley, who was the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs for the past two seasons, will bring a run-oriented game plan to the Steelers offense. He went 19-26 with the Chiefs. Haley was a coordinator for 10 years before being hired as a head coach. He was the offensive coordinator of the Arizona Cardinals when they reached Super Bowl XLIII, ironically against Pittsburgh.

The Steelers organization has ties with the Haley family in the past. Todd’s father, Dick, served as the director of team personnel from 1971-90. Todd said he is happy to be back in the city where he spent the majority of his childhood. “I am excited to come back home and work for a tremendous organization. It is an honor to work with the Rooney family and Coach Tomlin and continue the success that has become synonymous with the Steelers.”

The hire of Haley is clearly a sign of drastic changes to come for the Pittsburgh offense. Under Arians the Steelers became a pass first offense. Haley loved to run the ball when he was with the Chiefs. In 2010, the Chiefs led the league in rushing attempts with 556.

This could potentially be a brilliant hire. The Steelers need to limit the amount of hits that Ben Roethlisberger takes throughout a game. The running game is a quarterback’s best friend. It will also setup the play-action for big play potential down-field. The Steelers have three explosive receivers that can beat most cornerbacks. A good running game will open up the field for the whole offense.

The Steelers need to solidify their offensive line to be able to control the line of scrimmage. If they can sure up the o-line, they have the potential to be a very strong running team. Rashard Mendenhall and Issac Redman are solid running backs and compliment each other very well.

Follow me on Twitter @bbonsell24