While the Pittsburgh Pirates continue to be the biggest laughingstock in all of baseball, the Pittsburgh Steelers once again show why they are the NFL’s most elite franchise.

On a day when the Pirates traded a nine year defensive wizard and a multiple time All-Star for a bunch of guys nobody has ever heard of and nor they ever will, the Steelers were busy locking up one of their best players for the foreseeable future. Yeah, I know they’re different leagues and different sports but this pretty much sums up why one team is a first-class organization with a winning tradition and the other is an embarrassment to the championship city of Pittsburgh.

Heath Miller has agreed to a 6 year $35.5 million contract extension. That comes with a signing bonus of $12.5 million. The hefty bonus would indicate that only a small portion of that 6 year contract is guaranteed money. Still, Miller has been a solid top five TE when it comes to both blocking and pass catching so it’s a fair deal for both parties.

This also greatly ends any fear that the NFL’s uncapped year after next season will signal the dismantling of the Steelers. Miller’s extension means the only notable free agents the Steelers will have to worry about losing in 2010 are Fat Boy Hampton, Ryan Clark, and Fast Willie Parker.  All good players but even losing all three would hardly be a crippling blow to this team.

The Steelers have once again showed us how a successful team gets it done. Of course all they have to do is look across to glorious PNC Park for a textbook example of what not to do.