1. After his Game Five ninth-inning homer, Albert Pujols proved he’s the best hitter in… 1. After his Game Five ninth-inning homer, Albert Pujols proved he’s the best hitter in baseball today.

Matt Sortino: Fact. This is fact and it was a concrete fact way before Pujols’ home run against the Astros to force Game Six. Pujols is the consistent hitter that can be counted on for a high average, high home run total and high runs batted in. He is only 25, shows tremendous power and, more importantly, discipline at the plate. He may be the best hitter of all time when he retires.

Dave Thomas: Fact. I agree with Sortino that this has been true for a few seasons now. Pujols is simply the man. Granted, Alex Rodriguez has been putting up great numbers his whole career and will likely retire as one of the game’s greatest players, but Pujols is right there with him and has a lot of career left. In an era where steroids have tainted power-hitting sluggers, Pujols seems purer than ever, and from what I understand, his heart is even bigger than his monstrous legs. He is without a doubt the game’s best hitter right now.

2. Charlie Batch should have started last week for the Steelers instead of Tommy Maddox, who started in place of the injured Ben Roethlisberger.

MS: Fiction. Before the game started – and I repeat, before the game started – Maddox was the best opportunity the Steelers had to win and there should have been no thought of starting Batch. With that said, Batch should have entered the game sometime in the second half. On top of that, extra bonus points to Maddox for saying he saw the field well, for complaining about the fans booing him and for releasing information that he had a shoulder injury during the game but didn’t tell anybody until the game was over.

DT: Fact. And I know what you’re thinking, anyone can be a “Monday morning coach” and after the way Maddox finished the game – a fumble and an interception in overtime – it now seems like Batch should have been in there. But I thought this as soon as Big Ben went down against the Chargers. Maddox was out with a calf injury and didn’t even make the trip to San Diego, and then all of a sudden he’s ready to go against the Jags. I’m not too sure about that. Batch had been taking the majority of the snaps as the backup; he should have been in there. Despite this little controversy, the real issue that needs to be addressed by coach Cowher is where Jerome Bettis was in the second half – but that’s a whole other story.

3. After starting 0-4-2 and remaining the only winless team in the NHL, the Penguins need to fire second-year head coach Eddie Olczyk.

MS: Fiction. Eddie O. is working long, hard hours to get this team on track, but with the talent on the roster and the money spent, fans want progress now and they should be upset they are not getting it. With that said, Olczyk cannot play defense and the Pens’ defensemen are among the worst in the league. Here’s to general manager Craig Patrick for bringing in a big-play center and a young defensemen who can play with speed in the new NHL by the trade deadline.

DT: Fiction. Everyone needs to relax. The Pens are fine. I mean, as of right now, they’re in third place in their division. They are still getting points with all of these overtime losses, and they have been so close so many times that it’s a good experience for their young players. They have all the offensive talent they need and some solid goaltending. Once they get the defense playing well, the wins will start piling up. Eddie Olczyk is the right man for the job. The organization knows this, but the media and fans sometimes lose sight of it. His job is not in jeopardy and it shouldn’t be.

4. The new student ticket plan for Pitt Basketball is the best way to handle what has, in recent years, been a disastrous event.

MS: Fiction. I tried to read the new plan the other day and I got a headache and the room started spinning. You have to win a lottery, then show up, then win another lottery, then collect points, then…it is all too confusing. Line the kids from the Petersen Events Center door down the hill in tents. The few hundred who want to come get tickets, get rid of the rest of the student tickets, and sell them at full price to fans and alumni, thus bringing in more money.

DT: Fact. Everyone must come to grips with the fact the athletics department won’t allow students to camp out. And this is probably better anyway. Sure, there would be a couple hundred students who are die-hard Oakland Zoo members who would love to camp out, but we wouldn’t see nearly the turnout that Duke gets for Krzyzewskiville or even what PSU gets for Paternoville. This new system seems difficult, but once it’s in place I think it will be awesome. You get rewarded for going to games, so the die-hards should like it, and everyone who registers has an equal chance to get tickets. Also, this system doesn’t require going up to the Pete – everything’s online, so the convenience of it can’t be beat.