First, Charlie Weis gets canned. Then Bobby Bowden retires. Who's next?

The Fumbler?

The Fumbler was in fear for his job after the WPIAL championships as he was 0-4 in title game picks. All those great picks in the playoffs didn't seem to matter because everyone started saying "The Fumbler can't pick the big one."

The Post-Gazette doesn't put up with losing prognosticators. Never mind The Fumbler's character, how he has developed other prognosticators and how he had been terrific the rest of this season. That really doesn't matter.

The bottom line is winning the big ones. With more championship efforts like this, The Fumbler will become the Buffalo Bills of prognosticating.

The Fumbler got called into the office of Assistant Managing Editor/Sports Jerry Micco on Monday, the same time that Weis was meeting with Notre Dame officials. Honestly, what saved The Fumbler's job was correctly picking Erie Cathedral Prep to beat Schenley.

But The Fumbler has never been one to stay down long. So he's fairly confident he will rebound strongly.

The Fumbler is now 48-17 (.738 pct.) in the playoffs. He is still better than .800 for the year at 527-118 (.817 pct.).

Here are his thoughts on tonight's PIAA quarterfinal games involving WPIAL teams (all games start at 7 p.m.):

Woodland Hills (12-1) vs. State College (10-2) at Altoona's Mansion Park Stadium -- The Fumbler will be attending this game, and will stay overnight at a hotel because no sane individual should drive Route 22 in the dark.

Woodland Hills might not have a handful of players because of injuries. The Fumbler says that won't matter much. The Wolverines still will be faster overall than State College. Speed and Woodland Hills' defense will be the keys against a State College team that hasn't been as strong as everyone thought at the start of the year. Winner: Woodland Hills.

West Allegheny (11-2) vs. Erie Catheral Prep (11-2) at North Allegheny -- First off, The Fumbler loves the name of Cathedral Prep quarterback Shyquawn Pullium. If The Fumbler ever has a son, he is going to name him Shyquawn.

West Allegheny needs to know this: There is no question Cathedral Prep is good enough to beat the Indians. The Fumbler has always been impressed with Cathedral Prep coach Mike Mischler, who owns a state championship in Class AAAA.

The Fumbler expects a close game, but he just believes West Allegheny running back Mike Caputo will find a way to lead the Indians to the victory. Winner: West Allegheny.

Greensburg Central Catholic (11-2) vs. Beford (7-6) at Windber, 7 p.m. -- The Fumbler read some of the comments from Greensburg Central running back David Miller and coach Muzzy Colosimo after the WPIAL championships. They should go on tour with a comedy act.

For certain, the Greensburg Central Catholic postseason tour will continue for at least another week. The Centurions will breeze through this Class AA game. Winner Greensburg Central Catholic.

Clairton (12-1) vs. Conemaugh Township (11-1) at Yough -- Watching the WPIAL Class A final on FSN Pittsburgh, The Fumbler is convinced Clairton linebacker Eddie Ball might be the best Class A defensive player in the entire state.

The Fumbler also is convinced Conemaugh Township would need 11 Eddie Balls on defense to slow down Clairton. The Bears scored only 14 points in the WPIAL final, but Conemaugh Township certainly isn't Rochester.

The Fumbler thinks Clairton is on its way to a PIAA Class A championship. The first step should be fairly easy for the Bears. Winner: Clairton.

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