Cannon Firing Line
Fall Back on Hope
By Ellis G. Cannon
PSR Publisher

October is here and if you're a Pittsburgh sports fan it couldn't have come soon enough.

That may be the case this year more than ever, particularly if you're a Steelers fan, although considering the excitement generated by the arrival of Gene Malkin, curiosity of the Pirates' second half and baseball playoffs, October is not the exclusive domain of the former.

That said, Steelers fans hope October lives up to its reputation.

Bill Cowher owns October. Coach Bill is fond of saying he uses the first month of the season for information gathering and figuring out the team identity. He must do a pretty good job of it considering his 39-14 record since 1992 during Pumpkin Month, the one that follows what's always been a pretty flat month for the Steelers under Cowher, one that has him only five games over .500 over that same period.

If history is any indicator, fans can expect the ship that was September to be righted. After having their bye week following the Cincinnati loss, the Steelers found themselves at 1-2 and looking up at Baltimore and Cincinnati. Armed with that history, not to mention the likely Trent Green-less Chiefs at Heinz Field and whatever's left of the Raiders, you have the feeling Cowher will add to his October legacy.

There is Atlanta on the highway, but we're not nearly as convinced of Michael Vick as the national types, so he's the one with something to prove there. Indeed, the Steelers' most difficult hurdles this month may be the travel, with those pair of trips to California. While the Chargers are formidable, and certainly could shake the very foundation of the Nation, don't forget Cowher owns a 7-1 regular season mark against the Chargers. Speaking of, Cowher's regular season record against his October foes is 19-5-1.

And, of course, there's Cowher versus Marty Schottenheimer, a distinct advantage for Pittsburgh. Marty raised Bill up, but he's never accepted that offense is there to do more than not lose games. That was the dope of Bill's teams at one point, too, but he moved on, while Marty is still Marty.

Fact is, Cowher looks like Sid Gilliam beside Schottenheimer.

Handle their business and the Steelers will be back in the mix with a second half that includes less than two full hours of air travel, a distinct advantage for teams as the NFL grind begins to take its toll.

While that is going on, the Pens will just be starting, with the excitement a new season brings. Like the hopes of Steelers fans, September also brought a disruption of sorts when it looked likely Malkin was going to be shelved for months, if not the year. But as September closed, Malkin was looking at rehab instead of the knife, and, assuming he won't have a chronic situation and the club truly takes its time with his recovery, October has a chance to be the healing month for the Pens as well.

That won't include the Pirates as their respectable second half gives way to the beauty of baseball's postseason before an off-season of reflection and perspective. Yet, they too have hope in mind, giving them something in common with the Steelers and Penguins, even if from a different point of view.

Odd, isn't it? It's spring that brings hope. Except this year in Pittsburgh.

Ellis Cannon's SportsLine Pittsburgh" airs weeknights, 6-8 p.m., on FM NewsTalk 104.7. Ellis is also a regular contributor on the "#1 Cochran Sports Showdown" aired Sundays at 11:35 on KDKA-TV.