So it's been about 24 hours since the Steelers sent Santonio Holmes to the New York Jets for an 5th-round draft pick. The move really took us all by surprise, but now I think it's fair to write an official send-off post. Whether you think he was an asset or a liability at this point is irrelevent. The fact is, the Steelers just traded their #1/#2 receiver for what amounts to a new water bottle and an Eat 'n Park gift card. After the jump, we'll take a look at what Santonio Holmes has done as a Steeler.

Boy, do I hate the offseason. Not a whole lot goes on in the NFL around now. Yeah, Donovan McNabb got traded, but the exact same amount of people in Philly are pissed off at him anyway. I swear, McNabb is more polarizing in Philadelphia than Jesus Christ was in the Roman Empire. After the jump, we'll go over what the Steelers have been up to for the past week or so.

I've you've read this blog for more than a few months, you know that the Steelers aren't the only team we follow and root for like maniacs. I won't speak for the other writers, but I'm personally an avid fan of the Penguins, Pirates and Nittany Lions. So I'm looking forward to the PBC's opening day against the Dodgers tomorrow as much as I anticipate the Steelers taking the field for the first time each fall. Allow me to write one post about baseball each season...

This year will be a little more special for me as I've bought a partial season ticket plan for the first time ever and will be a frequent visitor to what I consider to be the best ballpark in America: PNC Park.

I'd say 75% of my family and friends think I'm either too rich (poor college student) or a sucker (I like to think not) for paying legitimate currency to spent many afternoons and evenings watching the losingest franchise in baseball...a team that I have no memories of being competitive in my lifetime. But I think of it a little differently.

I've always thought that real fans are the ones who, you know, actually follow their team through thick and thin...even when thin is a "valley" of losing 17 years in the making. Every "fan" as a right to do what they want, but boycotting the team, cracking lame jokes, or not taking the time to be educated about the current management's plan isn't going to help in any way.

Most baseball experts that actually do their jobs, as well as guys like Pat at WHYGAVS and Charlie at Bucs Dugout, will tell you that the Pirates are on the right path. Their plan involves building from the ground up and is similar to what teams like the Brewers, Twins, Rays, and Rockies have employed.

So maybe I'm a sucker for Bob Nutting's master plan to take over the world at the expense of Pittsburgh's baseball fans. Or maybe I've just got money to blow. But I know I'll probably be too excited tonight and I'll be like a kid on Christmas morning when I walk down Federal Street and into PNC Park tomorrow afternoon. I can't wait to see McCutchen and Milledge smiling in the outfield after one of them makes a diving catch. I can't wait to see Garret Jones launch a baseball onto the riverwalk behind the Clemente Wall. And I even can't wait to hear Greg Brown lose his mind over another "Raise the jolly roger!"

Yeah, the Pirates are all but destined for another losing season. But forget the streak. Forget Jason Bay, Jack Wilson, and Nate McLouth. I'm just excited about going to watch a baseball team that I love and one that can and will get better. It won't be this year and it might not be next year, but the day is coming when competitive baseball will be played on the north shore. And all of the fans who actually stick it out through the tough times will feel all the more proud when that moment happens.

Every few years, there's a rash of shark attacks along the east coast here in the U.S.A. The most recent time sharks were particularly hungry was in 2001, which TIME dubbed the "Summer of the Shark." I remember being afraid to go into the ocean that year because I was scared to death some blood thirsty shark would turn my teenage body into brunch.

What I would later come to understand was that the "Summer of the Shark" was a total lie. Shark attacks were actually down a fair amount in 2001 when compared to previous years. But it was a slow news time and the media just kind of got carried away with the shark fanaticism. It was to the point where every shark sighting got hours of live coverage from Geraldo along the Florida coast.

Unfortunately, the Steelers have now turned into the sharks and this is not going to be a fun summer.

Every On random Fridays, we venture out into the Web and pull in some of the best (and occasionally worst) Steeler and non-Steeler related content on the Web. And here. we. go.

• Our fellow Bloguin-ites have launched an entire blog dedicated to the upcoming NFL draft. Lots of interesting stuff there, including a profile on USC safety Taylor Mays, a name that's been tied to the Steelers more than once.
  
• Bloguin CEO Ben Koo attacks Google's selection process for their News listings after finding a "sweet deal" on a Marion Barber jersey while perusing trade rumors about the Cowboys running back on Google News. Ouch.
• DC Sports Report says there's a 90 percent chance that Sam Bradford will be the first overall pick.
• On the Big Ben front, SPORTSbyBROOKS reports that Roethlisberger's accuser had a .20 BAC, a fake ID, and refused to show up for a recent police interview. No clue what to think of that, but it's interesting.
  
• Pat Lackey of WHYGAVS and Gene Zarnick of Favre Dollar Footlongs both went on some cool sports-related trips, with Pat touring Pirate City in Bradenton and Gene attending the first couple rounds of the NCAA tournament in Buffalo. Two excellent write-ups.
  
• Little Giants in real life. Yes and yes.
• Greg Oden does Portland. No and no?
  
• Lastly, Sandlot Swashbucklers has launched on Bloguin -- a blog entirely devoted to the Pirates minor league system. I can't speak for all of our writers on Blitzburgh, but I'm a huge baseball and Pirate fan and couldn't be more excited about this.

I think I probably wouldn't draft a quarterback in the first couple of rounds if I were running the Steelers -- as football czar Kevin Colbert implied Sunday -- but I definitely would add a developmental quarterback somewhere in rounds four through seven. And develop him quickly.

- Peter King, MMQB

Sounds like most of the best football minds, including those employed by the Steelers, are expecting life without Roethlisberger happening sooner rather than later. Who would have thought four or five months ago that we'd be talking about drafting a quarterback in the draft again? Vomit....

If you're like me, you're already sick of the whole Ben Roethlisberger sexual assault incident that continues to play out in the media. Nobody will ever know exactly what happened in that Milledgeville, GA bathroom, but the whole thing just further clarifies one fact - Ben Roethlisberger is an idiot. As much as I love him off the field, he's become a complete joke oustide of it. If you're keeping score, Big Ben is known around Pittsburgh as being the guy who walks out of restraunts without paying the bill, parties with college girls, and that whole motorycle thing didn't help his image either.

Then there is Troy Polamalu. The all-world safety is known around "tahn" for randomly paying for patrons meals at restraunts, regularly attending church, and now...playing pick up football with random kids.

Check out the full story of Polamalu's impromptu football game and QB skills along with a cell phone photo after the jump...

The Steelers have been having their trademark silent free agency, and a few days into it they finally sign a few tiny names for depth/special teams. Arnaz Battle was signed from the 49ers to be a #5 WR, pretty much, and Will Allen was brought in from Tampa Bay as someone Tomlin is familiar with who will pretty much play special teams and be a backup DB. But that's not the big signing of the day for the Steelers. Ladies and gentlemen... and old friend.

• We don't really know how well he serves as a slot receiver anymore since any performance in Washington would have been diminished, but if he beats Mike Wallace for the third spot, we can probably expect a few gadget plays for good old El in 2010.
• Limas Sweed is almost toast.
• Realistically, El was brought in to return punts. It's what he did well as a Steeler the first time around, and it'll probably be what he does again. And thank goodness, because the Steelers still need help there.

Tell your mom to dust off her old Randle El jersey, because it's back in style.

UPDATE: Adam Schefter reports that Ryan Clark accepts a 4-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Schefter is usually right, so I'm going with him on this one. This is great news. Not only did the Steelers bring in a few small-time depth guys, but they have also managed to re-sign Jeff Reed, Casey Hampton, and Ryan Clark (Parker whatev). I'd say Kevin Colbert's 2010 free agency moves can be considered a success. With the draft yet to come, I think we should all feel pretty good about where the team is.