PITTSBURGH - Offensive tackle Max Starks has signed a four-year contract that keeps him with the Pittsburgh Steelers through the 2012 season and frees up several million dollars in salary-cap room for the team. Starks, the starting left tackle, was designated as the Steelers’ franchise player on Feb. 20 - less than three weeks after they won the Super Bowl - and he initially accepted a 2009 salary of $8.45 million.

Want to go to college but think you can’t because you lack child care? To help you make it happen, Bryant & Stratton College is holding a “Children’s College” open house at 10 a.m., 2 or 6 p.m. March 3 at its Richmond campus, 8141 Hull Street Road. “Children’s College” shows parents who want to advance their education how their 2-to12-year-old children can go with them to classes during the day or night.

Their triumphant reunion complete, Shaquille O’Neal revealed that Kobe Bryant let him keep the NBA All-Star Game MVP trophy they shared. Bryant doesn’t need it. He’s eyeing a much bigger prize. His Los Angeles Lakers bring the best record in the league into the second half of the season, giving Bryant a realistic chance to finally win a championship without O’Neal.

With every game the Los Angeles Lakers play, one nagging question keeps cropping up: How did they lose to the Detroit Pistons - at home?