Last week: 7-3 (70%)

Season: 40-14 (74.1%)

News that Pittsburgh Mills mall is going to have a new owner got The Birdie buzzing this week.

Of course it did. Whenever there’s a news story that prompts discussion, the old bird makes sure his thoughts are shared.

“I’ll tell you what they should do,” he said, using his favorite seven words to start a sentence, “with that space.”

“My first thought is Gen X retirement home,” he said. “Old birds like me would pay a pretty penny to relive their childhoods in a place like that.

“You turn most of the stores into housing for retirees. You leave a couple of storefronts as places of business such as an arcade, movie theater, record store, Spencer’s, Hickory Farms — you know, all the places I used to hang out — and let Gen X run amok.

“If that doesn’t work, I’ve got another idea, too,” The Birdie continued. (Of course he does.)

“I was reading that the National High School Football Hall of Fame is looking to move out of its location in Canton, Ohio, and is considering the Pittsburgh area as its new home.

“Boom. The mall is now the hall. Each state gets its own storefront. Put an indoor field in there and play some arena ball. It’s football paradise.”

With that, The Birdie, fully convinced of his brilliance, began to work on his Week 6 picks.

“Suddenly got a craving for an Orange Julius,” he said.

Valley (2-3) at Burrell (3-2): The Bucs have hit a rough patch, losing back-to-back games, but it’s not like the wheels are coming off. If they can limit Valley’s big plays, they’ll get back in the win column. Burrell, 28-13

Fox Chapel (1-4) at Latrobe (3-2): The Foxes face a difficult task this week in limiting Latrobe’s ground game. Latrobe, 34-14

Armstrong (4-1) at Plum (5-0): The Mustangs passed every test in the season’s first half, but it gets tougher from here. The key matchup is the high-flying Plum offense against an Armstrong defense that held Gateway to 12 points last week. Plum, 21-20

McKeesport (2-3) at Kiski Area (1-4): A great opportunity for each of these teams to move past a slow start and get things going. McKeesport, 26-14

Highlands (4-1) at Deer Lakes (2-3): Good to see the Lancers finding their footing, but stopping this Highlands offense is a different challenge entirely. Highlands, 31-13

Knoch (3-2) at North Catholic (2-3): The way the Knights’ season has gone is a feather in the cap of the Allegheny Seven. It’s a tough conference. North Catholic, 42-28

Apollo-Ridge (4-1) at East Allegheny (2-3): Your weekly reminder that this is a real good Apollo-Ridge team. The Vikings are averaging 45 points a game, for crying out loud. Apollo-Ridge 49-14

Leechburg (0-5) at Greensburg Central Catholic (4-1): At the halfway point, Leechburg looks like a good program having a down year. It happens. GCC isn’t a great opponent to get right against. Greensburg Central Catholic, 28-14

Freeport (4-1) at Mt. Pleasant (3-2): The Vikings have been hit by injuries. The Yellowjackets should be able to slow down their ground game. Freeport, 27-13

Springdale (1-3) at Sto-Rox (2-3): A winnable game for the Dynamos, but the Vikings have some big-play threats and they’re at home. Sto-Rox, 26-20

Clairton (3-2) at Riverview (1-4): Unfortunately for the Raiders, it looks like the Bears have some early season struggles worked out. Clairton, 35-7

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