-It seems like Joe Namath is facing more criticism now than he did when he drunkenly told… -It seems like Joe Namath is facing more criticism now than he did when he drunkenly told Suzy Kolber he wanted to kiss her back in December.

Broadway Joe admitted that he suffers from alcoholism and has decided to seek help. Alcoholism is a disease, much like cancer or diabetes. It’s a disease that affects millions of Americans and, regardless of a person’s social or economic standing, can destroy lives and rip families apart.

Namath should not be condemned for admitting that he will seek help for his alcohol problem. If anything, he should be applauded. It takes a lot to admit that you are an alcoholic, and it is a decision that has taken him nearly 40 years to make.

The real tragedy would have been if Namath had decided to sweep the incident under the carpet and continue on as if he did not have a problem. That would have been taking the easy way out. There was nothing funny or acceptable about Namath’s behavior while intoxicated on the Jets’ sideline, but his decision to seek help for his addiction is one that should be respected.

-What is the point of recruits giving verbal commitments to universities?

An answer often heard is that players give verbal commitments in order to get recruiters off of their backs. The reality of the situation is that this frequently brings on more attention.

Penn Hills quarterback Anthony Morelli and North Hills running back Andrew Johnson are cases in point.

Both players gave Pitt verbal commitments last summer, yet recently have stated that they will look at offers from other schools.

Johnson committed to Pitt all the way back in July, but went on an official visit to Ohio State. He also met with University of Miami head coach Larry Coker when he was in town a few weeks ago, and he plans to visit Florida and Miami.

Morelli has been receiving offers from many schools, including Ohio State, UCLA and Penn State. The star quarterback recently had a meeting with Pitt coach Walt Harris and appeared to have worked things out, but Morelli spent this past weekend on an official visit to Penn State.

The bottom line is that, no matter what you hear, nothing is final until a recruit signs a letter of intent. The national letter-of-intent signing period begins Feb. 3.

-It has taken a while, but Pitt basketball is finally getting respect on the national level.

Following Pitt’s narrow-margin defeat at Connecticut, ESPN analyst Digger Phelps said that he was surprised by the game’s outcome and was expecting a blowout.

To be predicting a blowout seems pretty extreme considering that Pitt’s 75 wins over the past three seasons are more than any other Division-I school over the three-year span.

Pitt has been criticized for having a weak non-conference schedule that included teams like Albany and Chicago State, but don’t forget about the games against Alabama, Georgia and Florida State. Pitt took care of business and, after dominating at Syracuse last weekend, the Panthers are ranked No. 6 in the coaches’ poll and are getting the respect they deserve.

-Jaromir Jagr has another new home and, in his first game in New York as a Ranger, had a three-point night.

Could Jagr be the missing piece of the puzzle and bring Lord Stanley’s cup back to the cash-happy capital of the NHL?

Probably not, but with the Penguins holding the title of worst team in the NHL, hockey fans in Pittsburgh have little room to criticize any team.

Ryan Walker is a senior staff writer for The Pitt News and can be reached [email protected].