The Steelers yesterday "had no comment" on a report that some of the team's "limited partners plan to lobby" for team President Art Rooney II to fire coach Mike Tomlin. The ownership group "consists of 19 members, with five being members of the Rooney family" (TRIBLIVE.com, 1/16). In Pittsburgh, Ed Bouchette writes if he was Rooney and "one or more of these people came to me to suggest such a thing, I would show them the door." Bouchette: "It is beyond ludicrous for one or a few minority owners to even think they have enough influence to persuade Rooney to can Tomlin" (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 1/17). THE MMQB's Peter King offers 10 reasons why Tomlin "should not be fired," including that the Rooney family "is sane" (SI.com, 1/17).
BROWN OUT: Padres Exec Chair Ron Fowler shot down rumors the team will "bring back brown uniforms on a full-time basis" in the near future. He said during an appearance on XEPRS-AM that it would "probably be the 2020 season before we see anything" regarding uniform changes. Fowler: "I'm not a fan of, as Tony Gwynn used to say, the 'baby poop' brown-and-yellow uniforms. I think there's some brown that is very, very classy, and we'll see what the market tells us" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 1/17).
ALL IN THE CARDS? The MLB Cardinals' Winter Warm-Up fan fest concluded Monday, and foot traffic "was light, lines often short, and autograph sales, in some cases, slower than usual." Cardinals Care Dir Michael Hall said that total admission tickets sold "were 16,000 ... despite how the crowd looked." That was up from last year "when the team canceled a day because of poor weather" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 1/16).
