John Mehno
All In The Family

Grow up in western Pennsylvania and you embrace certain basic truths: Partly cloudy is a way of life, Donnie Iris rocks, and the Rooneys own the Steelers.

Now the issue of Steelers ownership is being threatened, and it's as jarring as hearing an elevator music version of "The Rapper."

What once was a paragon of parental fairness-the equal split of ownership among five Rooney brothers-has become a financial and legal mess. There are issues with NFL policies, potential estate taxes and the priorities of different factions within the family.

While the Steelers are certainly a profitable business, a windfall would come from selling the franchise, believed to be worth between $800 million and $1.2 billion.

Dan Rooney is still in the business of football. It's possible the other Rooneys believe it's better business to sell.

There are probably strong tugs in a number of directions. Family ownership creates a perception of harmony, but business sometimes trumps family.

Dan Rooney knows this. He once fired his brother Art as the head of the Steelers scouting department. Art Rooney Jr. moved on, but he never quite got over that.

People who have never really had a direct connection to the football team won't have the same passion for it as those who have been hands-on.

There's a lot of money at stake in the Steelers. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

It's possible they could arrange things to meet Dan Rooney's stated goal of preserving something close to the status quo.

There's talk of investors who would like to keep things as they are. But how many people in billion dollar businesses are truly silent partners?

Some potential investors are said to be avid fans, but is that good? Fans have opinions, and fan owners have the power to act on them.

The Steelers have been a model of stability. With new power, is there sentiment to make a coaching change after a 2-6 start?

It's possible outsiders could forever change the NFL's long-standing mom 'n' pop operation.

Anybody remember George Steinbrenner's quote when his group purchased controlling interest in the New York Yankees on Jan. 3, 1973?

"We plan absentee ownership as far as running the Yankees is concerned. I'll stick to building ships."

In other matters:

*  It was nothing less than a shock treatment the Pirates gave Tom Gorzelanny when they sent him to the minors. It wasn't just that he was pitching poorly, the demotion was also to let him know they weren't happy with the way he was approaching his job. If the message sent to Gorzelanny resonated throughout the clubhouse, so much the better.

*  The Penguins are scaling back greatly on their Student Rush ticket program, and that's understandable. Discounting tickets for college students worked well when tickets were tough to move. Now that they can sell every seat, it's tough to let them go for less than their value. The thing the Penguins should be ashamed of is charging $200 to get a spot on the season ticket waiting list.

John Mehno's latest book, "The Best Pittsburgh Sports Arguments" is available in stores and through online retailers.