Hello, FOX Bloggers and FOXY Bloggers alike, this is Mike Greenspire, and I am here to award the first annual Pittsburgh Sportsman of the Year Award!

The award goes to the best player or coach in Pittsburgh Pro sports of the past year, starting in August 2007, and going to July 2008. Any Pittsburgh sportsman in that time period is eligible for votes!

I have limited the field down to 8 contestants!

Ben Roethlisberger

Evgeni Malkin

Sidney Crosby

Nate McLouth

Marc-Andre Fleury

Jason Bay

Mike Tomlin

Michel Therrien

Get voting, my vote is below!

-Mike Greenspire

The Pittsburgh Penguins made a few deals since Wednesday that will most likely be looked at as players to fill the void left by Marian Hossa.

Ruslan Fedotenko and Miroslav Satan were signed by GM Ray Shero Thursday, one day after completing a long-term deal with star goalie, Marc-Andre Fleury.

Janne Pesonen, the top player in Finland's biggest league is reportedly close to a deal with the Penguins.

I just want to get my two-sense in here.

If Shero thinks that these three can make up for some of the productivity that Hossa had, then that's good. But, in my opinion, we should have gone after a big name in free agency. I would have liked to have Jagr back, at least I have heard of him. Jagr is going to play for a Russian team. Straka would have been good to have as well, but he went over to play in a European league. Markus Naslund would have been the guy I would have gone after, but maybe Shero just thought it would be easier to fit a younger player into the team that he has assembled.

Whatever, but we did lose Gary Roberst to the Lightning in a trade, and he was a skilled veteran. Naslund's power and skill would have been greatly utilized, but hey, if he wants to sign with the Rangers, so be it. Just another player in the Atlantic that obviously doesn't mind losing. HAHA! Just kidding.

We have a gaping hole, and we still need something big to be done before the season. We can't go Hossa-lees and not have a back-up plan. There is too much competition in the Eastern Conference to let that happen.

Let me know what you guys think! Hope you had a great and safe 4th. Take care!

-Mike Greenspire