Best of the Web: The Top 20 Links of the Week

-Not surprisingly, Troy Polamalu's dumb idea to have current players get involved in the punishment of flagrant hits was recently shot down by Roger Goodell. It's not like there would be any agendas involved among that group. [ESPN]

-How do the Steelers replace Max Starks? I'd say putting in Jonathan Scott, hoping he plays OK, and crossing your fingers that no one else goes down. [Fanhouse]

-Here's photo proof that there was a "Go Steelers" sign at the Rally to Restore Sanity in Washington D.C. At this point, I'd be more surprised if we didn't see something Steeler-related in a big crowd outside of Pittsburgh. [Funny or Die]

PENGUINS:

-Open your wallets for the Winter Classic Terrible Towel! [NHL.com]

-Remember Georges Laraque? Well, he's apparently gotten into acting, as word has spread that he's involved in the upcoming hockey flick Goon featuring Seann William Scott (better known as American Pie's "Stifler"), Jay Baruchel (star of the Pittsburgh-based film She's Out of My League), Eugene Levy (Jim's dad in American Pie), and Liev Schreiber (Sabretooth in X-Men Origins: Wolverine). That's quite a different supporting cast than the one he was playing alongside in Pittsburgh a few years ago. [Get to Our Game]

-Reebok recently released this clip of Sidney Crosby testing out a new stick. Any chance that stick could help out on the power play?

-Speaking of the beleaguered PP, here are 11 shocking stats about that unit. It's still Mike Yeo's fault, right? [The Pensblog]

-12 veterans from the Wounded Warrior Project and their families were invited to the morning skate on Wednesday as well as the game against the Bruins on Wednesday night through the Mario Lemieux Foundation. The vets were given their own customized jerseys, had a tour of the locker room, and met a certain player who wears #87. [PittsburghPenguins.com]

-HBO has changed the logo of their upcoming Winter Classic reality show because of complaints about the black and gold color scheme. Seriously, are people totally out of things to complain about? [DC Sports Bog]

PIRATES:

-Harvey Haddix, author of a perfect game that went into the 13th inning in 1959 and a member of the 1960 World Series champion Pirates, collected an extensive amount of memorabilia from his playing days, and his family is offering several key pieces in an auction, including his 1960 World Series ring. [MH]

-Can the Pirates educate a walking dead fanbase? That may be a task as tough as seeing .500. [Rum Bunter]

PITT:

-Is Jamie Dixon's team physical, or just dirty? Syracuse guard Scoop Jardine went on the record accusing them of the latter, telling ESPN, "They play dirty, and the refs know it."

Deciding whether Pitt plays physical or dirty is debatable, but here's one thing I know for sure:  January 17, 2011 will be circled on my TV-viewing calendar. We'll see how Pitt takes to Jardine's comments. [Rivals]

NHL:

-For this year's All-Star Game, the 42 players selected will be divided up in a fantasy draft between two designated captains. You mean an All-Star Game can be played for fun and not have to decide who gets home-field advantage in the championship seried? I won't hear of it. [Puck Daddy]

NFL:

-You're Jerry Jones...you've just fired Wade Phillips...what do you do? What do you do? VEGAS, BABY! [TMZ]

-And in related news, here's a gallery of old Wade looking befuddled on the Cowboys' sidelines. Admit it, you're going to miss him a little. I know the NFC East is. [Deadspin]

MLB:

-Here's a list of 10 potential free agents busts and bargains from SI's Jon Heyman. You mean it's not a good idea to wave a lot of money at Mike Hampton and Jose Guillen? [SI]

-The Pirates have been linked to Adrian Beltre in free agency, according to Heyman. I'm not quite sold. What would he look like as a bobblehead? [SI]

NCAA:

-Stewart Mandel released his 2010-11 college bowl projections, and local teams should all plan for the postseason. Mandel has Penn State (Big Ten #4) playing Mississippi State (SEC #6) in the Gator Bowl on January 1, and WVU (Big East #3) facing Clemson (ACC #5) in the Meineke Car Care Bowl on January 31. But the real eye-catcher is Pitt (Big East Champion) doing battle with Nebraska (Big 12 Champ) in the BCS Fiesta Bowl on January 1.

So let me get this straight...we could be looking at the Winter Classic and a BCS bowl game to start 2011? I like the sound of that. [SI]

-Here are your official 2010-11 college basketball pickup lines. Yeah, it's going to be a long year for Rick Pitino. [Sports Pickle]