1. Ken Whisenhunt will be named the next head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Joe… 1. Ken Whisenhunt will be named the next head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Joe Balestrino: Fact. Speculation as to him being next in line began at the conclusion of last season when Whisenhunt declined the head coaching position offered by the Raiders. Some believe that Art and Dan Rooney may have indicated that if he stayed with the Steelers, he would be given serious consideration for the job when Bill Cowher resigned, something they knew even a year ago was possible.

With Cowher now gone, Whisenhunt has to be the front runner for the job. He will likely move out of the private boxes and will be roaming the sidelines of Heinz Field this coming season.

Dave Thomas: Fact. I think Whisenhunt has proven himself as a great mind in the NFL and has paid his dues long enough. The Rooneys don’t forget things like that, and Whisenhunt’s years as a coordinator in Pittsburgh played a great role in the team’s recent success.

Although I think Russ Grimm and others are also suitable candidates, I think Whisenhunt is not only the best possible choice out there, but also the one most deserving to be the next head coach of the Steelers. It seems pretty likely that he wants to be a head coach, and since the Falcons, an organization that Whisenhunt has ties to, hired Bobby Petrino as their head coach, it looks like Whisenhunt will get his chance shortly with the Steelers.

2. The Penguins will play the 2006-07 season in Pittsburgh.

JB: Fact. The Isle of Capri’s failed bid was indeed a devastating blow to the Penguins’ plans on remaining in Pittsburgh; however, I don’t believe the team is now doomed. Make no mistake: Lemieux is serious about leaving town if no alternative plan arises shortly. But I do feel that state legislators and city officials, backed by fan support, will find a way to finance a new arena and keep the team in Pittsburgh.

DT: Fact. While to the uninformed sports fan it may seem like the Penguins and Lemieux have been crying wolf for some time now, I really think this thing is in the eleventh hour and it is getting serious. I think the most recent meeting the Pens had with local officials (a day after Lemieux was wooed by Kansas City) was extremely positive because of Lemieux’s comments afterwards.

He wouldn’t go into the details discussed but said the officials finally “stepped up” after seven years of Lemieux owning the team. If things weren’t leaning towards a deal, you know the details would have been leaked, and people would have been outraged. That tells me things are finally looking up, and hey, I guess it’s better late than never, so I think the Pens will stay in the ‘Burgh.

3. The Pitt men’s basketball team will win the Big East as predicted.

JB: Fact. This year’s team has extremely high expectations, but thanks to a difficult non-conference schedule, Pitt is battle-tested and is poised for a run deep into the Big East and NCAA tournaments. Thanks in large part to their experience, expect the Panthers to take the regular season Big East crown.

However, for as well as Pitt has historically played at Madison Square Garden, it has also lost many of its title game appearances. I have a feeling the Panthers may get upset in the Big East tournament, but will go on to experience the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament for the first time.

DT: Fact. Although I don’t think you can ever put much stock into preseason rankings and predictions, I think Pitt will be atop the Big East standings when the regular season is over. I think Pitt’s conference schedule worked in its favor, meaning it plays most of its toughest competition at home.

Pitt’s success at the Petersen Events Center is well-documented, and after playing such a tough non-conference schedule, I think they will do just as well on the road. As tough as the Big East is, it seems that Pitt has the best chance to finish as the top team.

4. Mark McGwire, who didn’t get enough votes on his first ballot, should eventually be elected into the Hall of Fame.

JB: Fact. The man played at a Hall of Fame level throughout his career, and thus he should be in the Hall. Sure, there is speculation he took performance-enhancing drugs, but if that alone keeps him out, then it should keep out numerous other players as well. One of the most well-liked players of his time, McGwire’s popularity plummeted when he painted himself guilty of using performance-enhancing drugs when he refused to address the issues of his use before a session of the House Government Reform Committee. But should he have to suffer more than the other players who didn’t answer the committee’s questions?

DT: Fact. The fact of the matter is that during McGwire’s career, he was never tested for steroids. So right now he is guilty until proven innocent, and that’s not how things work in this country. The Major League Baseball Hall of Fame is pompous to think that this steroid issue will go away just because McGwire is left out.

This will be ongoing for the next 20 years as all of the “steroid era” players retire and become eligible. Until more is proven, these guys need to be evaluated for what they did on the field, because that is the only true measure by which we can evaluate them.

McGwire put up hall-of-fame-like numbers and if he was using steroids, there is a pretty good chance the pitchers he was facing were using them, too, so I think the playing field was more level than we think. If that’s the case, McGwire is hall-worthy.

5. Darrelle Revis, who declared for the NFL Draft yesterday, will be a first-round choice in April.

JB: Fiction. Revis is undoubtedly one of the country’s best cornerbacks, and it would not surprise me if he was taken in the first round. But that will depend on whether or not this year’s draft will be defensively or offensively heavy.

Although he was on his share of highlight reels, the fact that he played for an underachieving Pitt team, which did not qualify for a bowl, will hurt his status. Only a superb performance at the NFL combine will raise his stock enough to make the first round. I expect Revis to be chosen early in the second round, and be the second corner chosen.

DT: Fact. Despite Pitt’s horrendous season, I think Revis has proven himself as an elite cornerback that could have an immediate impact at the next level. And while there are a ton of variables that go into the draft and how and when players are chosen, I think the league has proven how valuable a “shut-down” corner can be.

Revis excelled as soon as he got to college and I think he is NFL-ready. He’ll have great times at the workouts, and, in my opinion, could very likely be taken in the first round.