Aug 31, 2008 By Commentary John Mehno 3 min read

PITTSBURGH – It’s been an interesting summer for the home teams and their No. 1 draft picks. The Steelers picked a guy who can’t seem to hold onto the football, while the Pirates opted for one who either can’t tell time or count.

Teammates ganged up on Steelers rookie Rashard Mendenhall, making him carry a football all week, then putting a $100 bounty on separating him from the ball.

Some people saw it as fun and games, but there was a serious message there: A 25-yard run isn’t worth anything if it ends with a change of possession.

Nothing swings NFL games more than turnovers, because of the impact they have on both field position and momentum.

Jerome Bettis had three different seasons with the Steelers where he fumbled only once per season. His rushing attempts in those seasons were 355, 187 and 250.

Protect the football.

At least that’s a simple issue.

No one seems to have a handle on what’s happening between the Pirates and No. 1 draft pick Pedro Alvarez.

There seems to be agreement that Alvarez verbally accepted the team’s offer of a $6 million signing bonus, but commando agent Scott Boras is disputing the legality of the agreement.

Is it a ploy for more money? Is this a grudge gone wild between Boras and Pirates president Frank Coonelly, a long-time adversary from his days in the commissioner’s office?

Fifteen years of history strongly suggests that if something has gone wrong, it’s probably the Pirates’ fault.

But that doesn’t seem to be the case here. Pardon the Rashard reference, but it doesn’t look like they dropped the ball.

You knew things were taking a turn for the weird when the Pirates announced Alvarez was unavailable on the day he may have signed because he was “traveling.”

In a world of cell phones, text messaging and e-mail, it’s impossible for someone to be out of touch unless they want to be.

Those who know Alvarez vouch for his character, but his reputation is taking a beating as he stays silent and lets Boras handle things.

Meanwhile, the Pirates, whose only chance to get an impact player is to draft and develop one, are wondering how and why it all went hay wire.

Maybe the Penguins had the right idea in this star-crossed year. They traded their No. 1 pick as part of the package that got them the stretch run and postseason rental of Maria Hossa.

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Didn’t take long for the good vibrations from Pitt’s 2007 season-ending upset of West Virginia to vanish.

You’re supposed to beat Bowling Green. Especially at home. Especially after taking a 14-0 lead.

How can Pitt continually have world-class recruiting classes and losing teams?