1. Charlie Batch should be the starter this week with a less-than-100-percent Ben… 1. Charlie Batch should be the starter this week with a less-than-100-percent Ben Roethlisberger.

Joe Balestrino: Fiction. The fact that Charlie Batch is 3-0 as a starter for the Steelers is undisputed (with victories against the Browns and Packers in 2005 and the much-hyped victory in the Steelers’ home opener last Thursday). In those games, Batch showed great poise and experience and is without a doubt one of the league’s most reliable backups. Yet, Batch is a backup on the Steelers for a reason – the man in front of him can just flat out play better. Big Ben may not be 100 percent, but even at less than full strength, Roethlisberger’s play-making abilities make him more valuable to the team than Batch. In addition, Roethlisberger’s latest medical setback poses no risk, as he cannot re-injure his removed appendix.

Dave Thomas: Fact. Big Ben has been through a lot this off-season and in my opinion should not be rushed back into action unless everyone involved deems him 100 percent ready to play. Batch is fully capable of managing a game and protecting the ball. He erased any question of that in last Thursday night’s opener. If you’re the Steelers organization, you have to think long term, and Ben could be the franchise quarterback for another 15 years. It just doesn’t make sense to bring him back for a non-divisional week-two game. I know this might sound crazy, but I might not even play Ben until after the Steelers bye week, which happens to be an early one in week four. That will definitely give him enough time to fully recover from everything and give the Steelers tons of momentum for the final 12 games of the season.

2. Senior quarterback Tyler Palko is playing better than he ever has as a Panther.

JB: Fiction. Palko was one of the nation’s best college quarterbacks in the second half of the 2004 season, his first as a starter. Pitt’s offensive MVP and captain that season, Palko completed 230 of 409 passes (56.2%) for 3,067 yards, 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He burst into the national limelight that year with a tremendous performance at Notre Dame in which he threw five touchdown passes, an unprecedented feat against the Irish, and completed 26 of 42 passes (61.9%) for 334 yards with no interceptions. After a sub-par year in 2005, Pitt’s field general is back and is playing like he has something to prove. Palko has thrown for well over 200 yards and three touchdowns in each of the first two games this season. Palko’s experience and an improved offensive line should ensure that this, his senior year, should be one of his best. Even so, I do not see him quite matching his impressive 2004 statistics.

DT: Fiction. And I only say that right now because it is too early in the season to make a statement like that. While he has looked very good this season (six TDs and an average of 275 yards per game in Pitt’s two games so far), he hasn’t exactly been doing it against anyone that noteworthy. If Palko does keep it up and can light up Michigan State and then keep rolling over the weaker teams Pitt has on its schedule before West Virginia and Louisville, then this season will probably match up and be greater than 2004, but that’s still a long way away.

3. Ryan Howard will win the National League MVP Award.

JB: Fiction. The NL MVP race, despite whatever one may think, truly is a two-man race between the Philadephia Phillies’ young phenom Ryan Howard and the St. Louis Cardinals’ Albert Pujols. Aside from their 2006 salaries (Pujols makes considerably more), there is little else that separates these two offensively spectacular first basemen. Heading into Sunday night, last season’s MVP Pujols was leading Howard in batting average, runs and stolen bases. Yet, the 2005 Rookie of the Year and reigning Home Run Derby champ, Howard, led Pujols in RBIs and home runs. Howard has single-handedly kept the Phillies in the midst of the NL wild-card race and for that alone, should win the MVP award. Although the Phillies still have an outside chance at making the playoffs, Pujols’ Cardinals will certainly be there, and Pujols has the support of the national media. With his team in the playoffs, his offensive numbers and his national reputation, Albert Pujols will edge Howard for the award.

DT: Fact. I think what Howard has done is just too remarkable not to give him the award. As crazy as it may sound, we almost expect MVP-type seasons from Pujols every year so it isn’t as big of a deal, but Howard has taken the league by storm and done what no Phillie has ever done before. As impressive as Pujols has been, this has not been his best season just because he missed games because of injury. If Pujols was healthy all year, I don’t think there is any doubt he would win another MVP, but the healthy Howard has put up staggering numbers all year. I say the award will go to the Phils’ phenom.

4. Derek Jeter will win the American League MVP award.

JB: Fact. As harsh as New York can be, succeed in that city and you will achieve international recognition and fortune. For this reason, Derek Jeter will win this year’s AL MVP award, to go along with his lofty statistics. There has been a lot of talk surrounding the White Sox’s Jermaine Dye, the Twins’ Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau splitting the vote, and the reality of a designated hitter winning the MVP, a la “Big Papi” David Ortiz. The fact of the matter is Derek Jeter is the unquestionable leader of a Yankees team who will undoubtedly win the AL East division. Neither the White Sox nor the Twins are guaranteed to make the playoffs, and the Red Sox are already essentially out of it. Not to mention Jeter’s numbers are magnificent and are overall better than his counterparts: .344 batting average, 12 home runs, 87 RBIs, 97 runs and 29 stolen bases. If those numbers aren’t good enough to win the MVP, the fact that he dons pinstripes will be.

DT: Fact. And hopefully this will dispel some of the talk that Jeter isn’t nearly as good as the hype he receives. The Yankees have had a year full of ups and downs and question marks. Jeter has been the one person the team could count on all year. There is definitely no one more valuable to his team than Jeter, and the award is called the Most Valuable Player. With that said, sometimes the voters lose sight of that fact, but with all the attention that is always on the Yankees, I think it’s highly unlikely that Jeter’s season will go unnoticed by voters. The captain of the Yankees has done what we always knew he could do – play like an MVP for an entire season, not just October. There isn’t a doubt in my mind that Jeter wins the AL MVP this season.

5. With another US Open title last weekend, Roger Federer is just as dominant in tennis as Tiger Woods is in golf.

JB: Fiction. Without a doubt, both Tiger Woods and Roger Federer are the most dominant athletes in golf and tennis, respectively, of the last decade. Both men are ranked number one in the world and are the uncontested favorites to win whichever tournaments they enter. Having recently won his ninth major at this year’s US Open, Federer will likely retire as the best men’s tennis player of all time, yet Woods will likely achieve the same status in golf. This season, Woods has played in 14 events, and in those events had 10 top-10 finishes and seven victories. For his career, Tiger has 52 career victories and 12 major titles, well ahead of Jack Nicklaus’ record-breaking pace. In an extremely difficult decision, I’d have to say that Woods has made a slightly greater impact on his sport. Woods tees off against hundreds of competitors each week, none of whom can seriously challenge him. Federer is equally as amazing, but Rafael Nadal has proven to be his kryptonite. The young Spaniard has handed Federer four of the five losses he has suffered this year. Advantage-Woods.

DT: Fact. When it comes down to it, Federer is expected to win every tournament he enters just as Woods. He is only 25 and has won the last four Wimbledons and the last three US Opens. That is Tiger-like domination if I have ever seen it. While Woods gets more attention in the media and across the nation, that doesn’t mean that Federer isn’t as dominant. Federer has been the number-one player in the world for 137 consecutive weeks, that’s enough domination for me. So instead of an advantage, I guess for me it’s more of a deuce or a par between Woods and Federer.