The awesomeness of Ryan Shazier, new Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker

By Michael J.W. Stickings 

I haven't done much blogging recently -- well, any. Not in well over a week. I've just had a lot on the go and haven't had any time to write. But I hope you've been checking in, as we've had some content from Carl and Capt. Fogg, and I'll get back to it soon.

In the meantime, how about some FOOTBALL???!!!

My beloved Steelers took Ohio State LB Ryan Shazier in the first round (15th overall pick) of the recent NFL draft. It was something of a surprise to the very many of us who were expecting a WR or CB, two positions of glaring need, but upon reflection it made perfect sense. This guy is simply an awesome player who will bring lightning speed and a huge football IG, not to mention maturity, professionalism, and leadership, to the playmaking "mack" ILB role in Pittsburgh's 3-4 D. He could be one of the key players in a revitalized D for many years to come.

Anyway, here's a highlight video that just adds to my excitement. Enjoy -- until we get back shortly to politics.

Happy birthday, Steelers!

By Michael J.W. Stickings

On this day in 1933, Art Rooney -- "The Chief" -- founded the Pittsburgh Steelers (then called the Pirates, just like the local baseball team). This will be their 80th season in the NFL.

There were decades of mediocrity, and worse, but the Rooneys have owned the team ever since, and things started looking up with the arrival of coach Chuck Noll in 1969. Since then, there have been six Super Bowl victories, stability in the head coaching position with Noll, Bill Cowher, and Mike Tomlin, and an astonishing list of All-Pros and Hall of Famers.

You know I love the Steelers, right? There's no other team in any sport I love more -- no, not even the Montreal Canadiens, whom I grew up with that hockey-insane city -- and it is with immense pride that I call myself a fan of such a wonderful franchise, owned by a wonderful family, with wonderful fans all throughout Steeler Nation.

It's an all-year fandom sort of thing. I watch every game, anticipating it all week long, my mood very much determined by how they do, but I follow the team very closely during the offseason as well. My wife and I go down to Pittsburgh every year for a game. We love the city and the people, and we look forward to it all year long. And when we're there, we see up close just how much the Steelers mean to Pittsburgh, and we love being a part of it even for just a short time.

Whether you're a Steelers fan or not, I highly recommend The Ones Who Hit the Hardest: The Steelers, the Cowboys, the '70s, and the Fight for America's Soul by Chad Millman and Shawn Coyne. It's a great book about football and the best book I've ever read about the Steelers, focusing not just on the rise of the team in the '70s but on the local and national socio-political context, specifically the steel industry, that helped shape and define the team and its place in Pittsburgh history.

So, today, as we endure yet another Sunday without (American) football, as we count down the days to training camp, let me wish the Steelers a very happy birthday.

And Jack Lambert as well, the great middle linebacker of the famed Steel Curtain defence and one of the best players ever to wear the Black and Gold.

Shear the Beard: Yet another reason to love the Pittsburgh Steelers

By Michael J.W. Stickings

And I certainly do.

Via The Post Game, one of my favourite players, Brett Keisel, has his beard shaved off for a great cause:

Reveries of football past and future: Thoughts on the Giants, the Steelers, and the return of the NFL

By Richard K. Barry and Michael J.W. Stickings 

RKB:

I was clicking around the channels yesterday afternoon and came upon an NFL Network segment about the New York Giants win over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII on February 3, 2008.

In one of the more famous games in Super Bowl history, my beloved Giants, huge underdogs, beat the previously undefeated Patriots 17-14 -- but you probably knew that.

It will always be one of the most exciting days of my life.

It looks like the lockout is expected to end next week, which pleases me. I never really paid much attention to the relative merits of the positions of management vs. the players. On principle, I always side with the union and hope these guys can get as much out of their careers before the inevitable sixth concussion or blown knee sends them back home for good.

Referring to a long-forgotten sports strike of years past, some wag once said, "no one ever showed up to watch the owners play." Quite so.

But I do love my football, and watching the rehash of how the Giants beat the Pats reminded me how much.

For me, it's all about the cycle of life. My year doesn't begin on January 1st. It begins with that first kick-off of the first game of the regular season.

Yes, I'm a Giants fan. The first superstar for the team I recall was quarterback Y.A. Tittle. There's even a family story about me at about 5 years old being angry with my dad about something and, knowing that he was a big Giants fan too, blurting out, as if to sting him in some way, that "Y.A. Tittle's not very good, either, so there."

And even suffering through some really bad Giants' football in the 60s and 70s doesn't matter. I've loved it all.

It is an amazing thing that grown men and women can obsess about their favorite sports team and have a lousy day or week because their beloved franchise lost a game - not necessarily a big game, just a game. But, I'm one of those. My wife even knows that if the Giants lose she should offer sincere condolences as if something really bad happened.

Crazy, I know.

As I said, I'm glad the league looks like it's getting back to business. When the weather starts to turn, and the leaves along with it, with the fireplace raging in the living room and the game on the big screen television, I am a happy man.

Let's get to it.

**********

MJWS:

I was happy the Giants defeated the Patriots that day, but of course my focus is on my beloved Pittsburgh Steelers. (The Giants? Whatever. I prefer to ignore them. As long as they beat the Cowboys, I'm fine.)

(Yes, that's Terry Bradshaw over there, their great QB of the '70s, one of my favourite players when I was a kid and fell in love with them.)

Now, it's been a rough stretch for the Steelers of late. Hines Ward -- arrested on a DUI. James Harrison -- saying some not-so-nice things about Commissioner Goodell and his own teammates. And, of course, Big Ben -- that whole saga last year. Not to mention Rashard Mendenhall's controversial tweets, though I'll still defend him.

But this is still the best and classiest franchise in the NFL, starting with the Rooney family, right on down through Coach Mike Tomlin and the players themselves. Ultimately, I trust they'll get their act together when it matters. Coming off a Super Bowl defeat earlier this year, I worry they'll collapse into mediocrity this year, as they have after recent Super Bowl victories, but, if they play up to their potential, they should compete for a playoff spot and could just make another run at the Super Bowl.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. For now, I'm just happy the league -- owners, players -- seems to have come to its senses. There are billions of dollars to be made. Surely sacrifices can be made on both sides. Surely they can come to a deal that benefits everyone. And it looks like they have. This means we football fans can start focusing again on what we love. Well, we never didn't, but it's official again -- almost.

Honestly, what was I supposed to do without the Steelers? So much of my time, especially in the fall, is spent obsessing about them. And what was I supposed to do without fantasy football? I already have tickets for a game in Pittsburgh, and now I can look forward to that knowing it won't be cancelled. And, to me, there's nothing like going to Pittsburgh, a wonderful city with wonderful people, for a Steelers game. And I can also get my fantasy league going. That's serious business. I hardly wanted to face the emptiness of no season and -- gasp! -- no fantasy season.

So it's back. The NFL. Football. Football!!!!!

There is order to the universe again, a purpose.

Happiness indeed.

Rashard Mendenhall clarifies controversial Twitter remarks

By Michael J.W. Stickings

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall, you've probably heard, posted some rather interesting tweets on the killing of Osama bin Laden. I wrote about them on Wednesday, defending Mendenhall but not excusing a couple of the more inexcusable tweets.

Presenting himself as a 9/11 Truther? Not so good.

Seeming to be an Osama apologist? Also not so good.

But saying that there's something wrong with celebrating death, with the lust for bloody vengeance, refusing to be a judge (which only his God can truly be), and encouraging thought instead of ignorance? What's so wrong with that?

While defending Mendenhall, to a point, I made sure to stress that he needed to clarify his remarks, to explain himself. I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt because he appears to be thoughtful, peaceful man. I said that he should have been more careful, that Twitter isn't the best place to express such nuanced thoughts. I said that we shouldn't be too quick to judge. I admired him, in a way, but I was prepared to be more critical if he didn't 

Well, Mendenhall took to his blog (as reported by the Post-Gazette), a blog now with just a single post, for clarification. I encourage you to read his post in full. Here's some of it:

I appreciate those of you who have decided to read this letter and attain a greater understanding of my recent twitter posts. I see how they have gotten misconstrued, and wanted to use this outlet as a way to clear up all things that do not truthfully represent myself, what I stand for personally, and any organization that I am a part of.

First, I want people to understand that I am not in support of Bin Laden, or against the USA. I understand how devastating 9/11 was to this country and to the people whose families were affected. Not just in the US, but families all over the world who had relatives in the World Trade Centers. My heart goes out to the troops who fight for our freedoms everyday, not being certain if they will have the opportunity to return home, and the families who watch their loved ones bravely go off to war.

And he responded specifically to objections to one of his two objectionable tweets, the one in which he said that people shouldn't celebrate death but also in which he wondered how people could hate a man (Osama) they'd never even heard speak:

This controversial statement was something I said in response to the amount of joy I saw in the event of a murder. I don't believe that this is an issue of politics or American pride; but one of religion, morality, and human ethics...

I wasn't questioning Bin Laden's evil acts. I believe that he will have to face God for what he has done. I was reflecting on our own hypocrisy. During 9/11 we watched in horror as parts of the world celebrated death on our soil. Earlier this week, parts of the world watched us in horror celebrating a man's death.

And then he apologized for anything that might have been misconstrued:

Nothing I said was meant to stir up controversy. It was my way to generate conversation. In looking at my timeline in its entirety, everything that I've said is with the intent of expressing a wide array of ideas and generating open and honest discussions, something I believe we as American citizens should be able to do. Most opinions will not be fully agreed upon and are not meant to be. However, I believe every opinion should be respected or at least given some thought. I apologize for the timing as such a sensitive matter, but it was not meant to do harm. I apologize to anyone I unintentionally harmed with anything that I said, or any hurtful interpretation that was made and put in my name.

It was only meant to encourage anyone reading it to think.

With respect to the controversial tweet about hearing Osama's side, I think that Mendenhall wrote inartfully. In other words, he just didn't express himself well. His explanation helps, but obviously he should have been more careful with his words. Because, as it is, that tweet comes across not necessarily as pro-Osama but at least as deeply ignorant. (A lot of us heard Osama speak. A lot of us know the other side. But we still hated the man and were content, if not happy, to see him killed.)

Overall, Mendenhall's clarification, which according to the Post-Gazette he wrote himself, shows him, like his Twitter feed generally, to be an intelligent, humble, and thoughtful man. In a world full of knee-jerk jingoism, including some of what we saw in the aftermath of the killing Sunday night, such a nuanced sense both of self and of the world is truly admirable. (And, in a pro athlete, truly remarkable.) I was a fan of the athlete before. Now I'm a fan of the man.

The problem, though, is that Mendenhall did not address his 9/11 Truther tweet: "We'll never know what really happened. I just have a hard time believing a plane could take a skyscraper down demolition style." Does he really think that something else was going on, that, say, the U.S. government was behind it, or is he merely musing on a distantly remote possibility? I'd certainly like to know, as would his other fans, as would pretty much everyone else for that matter. He deleted that specific tweet, and so maybe he doesn't think he needs to explain it, but he must know that anything that goes public on a social networking site is likely to remain public no matter what, and that tweet remains out there regardless of whether or not it's in his feed.

So, Rashard, will you not take the time to clarify it? You seem to be a good and decent man. You say you want us all to think. Well, then, give us more than a single tweet about 9/11 and tell us what you really think. I, for one, am certainly open to having a conversation about it, and I suspect that many others are as well. I know you've encountered a lot of knee-jerk jingoism already, but not all of us are like that. And while I will disagree with you if you really are a 9/11 Truther, and while most others will too, you would do well not to let that tweet stand as your only statement on the matter. I suspect your views on that are much more nuanced. So what are they?

Osama bin Laden, 9/11, and the tweets of Rashard Mendenhall

By Michael J.W. Stickings

I really like Rashard Mendenhall. How could I not. He's the starting running back for my beloved Pittsburgh Steelers. And a really good one.

What I didn't know was that he's also on Twitter (I'm on Twitter but generally don't follow athletes because I generally don't care what they have to say -- though I will now be following Mendenhall), and that he's a rather provocative tweeter, unlike so many sports figures who traffic in the utterly banal.

And, tweeting about the killing of Osama bin Laden, he's made news for himself, and not necessarily in a good way:

Rashard Mendenhall has created a stir with comments made on his official Twitter page regarding Osama bin Laden's death.

The Pittsburgh Steelers running back on Monday tweeted: "What kind of person celebrates death? It's amazing how people can HATE a man they have never even heard speak. We've only heard one side..."

Mendenhall didn't hold back, even making a reference to the Sept. 11 attacks.

"We'll never know what really happened. I just have a hard time believing a plane could take a skyscraper down demolition style."

*****

Among his other bin Laden tweets:

"I believe in God. I believe we're ALL his children. And I believe HE is the ONE and ONLY judge."

"Those who judge others, will also be judged themselves."

"For those of you who said you want to see Bin Laden burn [in hell and piss on his ashes], I ask how would God feel about your heart?"

"There is not an ignorant bone in my body. I just encourage you to think."

The Steelers, an organization I admire immensely, and the Rooneys who own them, a family I admire as well, were not amused:

On Tuesday, team president Art Rooney II released a statement.

"I have not spoken with Rashard, so it is hard to explain or even comprehend what he meant with his recent Twitter comments. The entire Steelers organization is very proud of the job our military personnel have done and we can only hope this leads to our troops coming home soon."

Let me just say this: I understand why the Steelers responded, but I admire Mendenhall greatly for tweeting so thoughtfully.

He lost me with his 9/11 conspiracy tweet, with which I entirely disagree, and there was no need for him to go there. He also lost me with his tweet about hearing only one side, as if Osama was somehow innocent, as if he did nothing wrong. What exactly is the other side? It's not like Osama ever denied the charges against him. He was the leader of al Qaeda. Is there really any dispute? I agree that a lot of people know nothing of not just of Osama but of his brand of jihadism other than that he and it are pure evil, that is, what they are told they must think, and I do wish people were better educated and understood not just what jihadist terrorism is but why it is, but I'm not sure you have to hear the other side to be anti-Osama, or to hate him. The 9/11 attacks were his. That's enough.

So, not good.

Other than that, though, is what he wrote really so controversial? Yes, perhaps, though only by the standards of American jingoistic patriotism that allows for neither dissent nor nuance of any kind.

He tweeted about celebrating death, and I agree that there's something troubling about that. (I said as much in my post on Osama's death Sunday night.)

He tweeted that God (his God) is the only true judge. I don't agree with that, as I'm not a believer, but that's all Christians, Jews, and Muslims believe. And it what it says to me is that Mendenhall is a man of humility, contrary to the egotism of most of the rest of us who judge all the time.

He tweeted about the lust for violent retribution, for wishing suffering and death on another. That, too, I think, is troubling -- not what Mendenhall wrote but that lust for vengeance that pollutes our souls.

And he tweeted about countering ignorance with thoughtfulness. What's wrong with that?

Now, it's not clear what Mendenhall thinks of what happened on Sunday, nor of 9/11, nor of the so-called "war on terror." I hope he's not really a conspiracy theorist and that, allowing for an appreciation of the other side, he understands what Osama was really all about and why action had to be taken.

While I applauded the news of Osama's death, I did so in a muted way. Here's what I wrote: "Many will applaud this, and, in my own way, I will too. But I won't do so with glee. Because I just don't think the situation warrants it. Not after all that has happened, after all the death, after all the suffering. The gravity of the situation is simply too immense... I feel great joy. I'm just not in such a celebratory mood. Because as big as this is, I remain filled with sadness that the world is as it is. And war, even in victory, such that this is a victory, is always sad. Given the gravity of it all, I cannot quite let myself go."

I still feel that way, more or less. I don't think it's right to celebrate death. I understand why people let loose and allowed themselves to celebrate the news, and I understand that Osama's killing amounted to a sense of closure for many who lost loved ones on 9/11. But I think Canadian Prime Minster Stephen Harper put it well when he said that "Canada receives the news of the death of Osama bin Laden with sober satisfaction." That's how I received it. Satisfied, but not in some fist-pumping, flag-waving way, relieved that some sense of justice had finally been done.

I suspect that Mendenhall will clarify his remarks soon. He cannot simply let them stand as they are. But let's give him the benefit of the doubt. He would appear to be a thoughtful man, a peaceful man. He should have been more careful, perhaps, given that Twitter is hardly the best place to communicate such thoughts, but he wrote a lot that is good and positive alongside the tweets that raise concerns. And, yes, I admire him for that.

If he really is a 9/11 conspiracy theorist and Osama bin Laden apologist, I'll be disappointed and critical. But let's not be too quick to judge. Humility, after all, is preferable to its opposite.

The Packers win Super Bowl XLV. And yet we Steelers fans can still be proud of our team.

By Michael J.W. Stickings

I don't really have all that much to say about the Super Bowl. (I tweeted a lot during the game, so check out my feed and, if you so desire, follow me.)

I was emotionally invested in the Steelers to an incredibly deep degree and it was a tough loss. And yet I'm not terribly disappointed.

I didn't think they'd make it this far, what with Big Ben's suspension and the injuries to key members of the offensive line, and they lost to a really good team on Sunday, a Packers team that was much better than its regular-season record and low playoff seed, a Packers team that is really quite likeable, much more so than the Ravens and the Jets and Steelers's main rivals in the AFC.

Okay, I'm disappointed. But I'm not bitter. And I'm disappointed because they didn't play nearly as well as they could have, and should have. They got off to a terrible start, turned the ball over three times, and didn't come through when it mattered. But they had a chance to win, long before the final drive. They just didn't do it. And while a Super Bowl loss is hard to take, it's still a Super Bowl loss, meaning the Steelers made it further than 30 other teams in the NFL.

I became a Steelers fan back in the '70s, when I was a kid growing up in Montreal. We didn't have an NFL team, obviously, and so everyone just sort of picked one. There were older Giants and Packers fans, newer Dolphins and Vikings fans, and of course, Steelers and Cowboys fans. I don't remember how it happened. I was four or five. I liked the Steelers even before I liked the Canadiens, who are a religion in Montreal. And I got to see them win a couple of Super Bowls, their third and fourth. And then it was a long stretch through some lean years until they got back on top, and I've seen them win two more Super Bowls in just the past several years. And, really, they've been one of the league's top teams for a decade. So why should I be all that disappointed?

I love the Steelers, and I take ever loss hard. After the game I wasn't angry or bitter. I just felt bummed out. I didn't say much. I had most of the game to anticipate a Packers victory, but that second half was intense, and it looked like the Steelers might just pull it off, an improbable comeback after a miserable first half. But it was not to be.

But I'm proud of what they accomplished this year, and I feel good about their prospects -- assuming there's even an NFL season this year.

And so we move on. It's the agony and ecstasy of sports fandom. The lows, even taken in perspective, are hard to take, but the Steelers have given us many highs over the years, and we Steelers fans, even in defeat, can find not just solace but a certain joy in being fans of such a magnificent franchise.

Congrats to the Packers. They deserved it. But congrats also to our beloved Steelers for a great year.

Steelers 24, Jets 19

By Michael J.W. Stickings

J-E-T-S! Jets! Jets! Jets!

Ah, go %@#& yourselves.

My beloved Steelers pulled it out, 24-19 over Rex Ryan and the Jets, and now it's on to Super Bowl XLV in two weeks in Texas.

I'm terrified of the Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, who beat the Bears 21-14 in a game that wasn't even that close, but I take great pleasure in the fact that the Steelers and the Packers, two of the NFL's oldest and most respected franchises, will be playing for it all in Cowboys Stadium, given how much I despise Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys and everything about that wretched franchise.

Jones thought this was his year, of course, and that the Cowboys would be playing for a championship right at home in his new mega-monstrosity. They stunk, and they won't be, and now it's time for Pittsburgh and Green Bay to get it on.

But that Jets game...

What a first half. The Steelers were simply dominant, going up 24-0 and then taking a 24-3 lead into halftime. But I was worried. As good as the running game was, behind Mendenhall, the passing game wasn't there, and I was sure the Jets would pull it together and make a game of it. And on their first drive of the second half, the Jets rolled for a TD, a 45-yard pass from Sanchez to ex-Steeler (and MVP of the Steelers Super Bowl win a couple of years ago) Holmes after cornerback Taylor slipped.

Uh-oh.

While the Steelers couldn't do a think on offence, with Roethlisberger having a bad game (and the team's Pro Bowl rookie center, Maurkice Pouncey going down to injury in the first half, yet another blow to an already-depleted o-line), the Jets were moving the ball. They didn't have much of a running game, but Sanchez wasn't buckling under the pressure and recovered from a bad first half to lead the Jets down the field. The Steelers' D, which wasn't getting much pressure on Sanchez, held firm inside the five, stuffing Tomlinson on fourth down, but a bad snap led to a safety. 24-12.

Uh-oh.

And then the Jets marched down the field again, and, on a nice play that saw Holmes set a pick to free up Cotchery, made it 24-19 with just over three minutes to go.

I was a wreck already. Now I was on the verge of completely falling apart. I was completely overwhelmed. Resignation was already setting in. I couldn't even muster much anger.

But the Steelers held on.

To run the clock out, they just needed to make a few first downs. Roethlisberger kept the drive going with a pass to Miller, their sure-handed tight end; it was behind him, but he caught it. Later, on a crucial third down, Roethlisberger, facing pressure, rolled out and found Brown, one of the Steelers' promising young receivers, the guy who made the huge 58-yard catch against the Ravens last week, holding the ball against his helmet as he ran down inside the five, setting up the Steelers' winning TD, for the first down that sealed it.

No, he didn't have a great game, but, when he needed to Big Ben did what he does so often, making a play seemingly out of nothing.

And that was it. Ryan threw his headset to the ground, Big Ben took a few kneels, and now the Steelers are off to their record eighth Super Bowl, having won a record six.

With all the injuries this year, with all the issues they've had on the o-line, with Big Ben's four-game suspension and a young group of up-and-coming receivers, it's amazing they've made it.

Just amazing. I thought they were a pretty weak 12-4 team, and it looked the Patriots were the best team in the AFC, and I wasn't exactly confident they'd get past the Ravens and Jets, but here we are.

They did it.

The Packers are peaking right now and will likely be the clear favourites to win the Super Bowl, but I'll start worrying about that game tomorrow. For now, I just want to enjoy this.

I love the Pittsburgh Steelers.

I've watched pretty much every minute of every game this year, and I read as much as I can about them. I was at the first game of the regular season, in September, an OT win at home over Atlanta. The whole year has been incredibly intense.

And now it's on the Super Bowl! How awesome is that?

Steelers 31, Ravens 24

By Michael J.W. Stickings 

Some of you know that I'm a rather huge fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers. I was terrified going into today's game against the Baltimore Ravens, perhaps our biggest rival. It's not that I thought the Steelers would lose, just that Steelers-Ravens games are always tense affairs, and this was no exception. I'm not sure I have any nerves left.

What a game, though. After getting up 7-0, the Steelers fumbled twice inside their own 20 and ended up down 21-7 at the half. My mood, needless to say, was not good. It was anger and frustration mixed with resignation, and I just didn't see how they'd ever come back against a tough Ravens D with an o-line that has been weak all season, in part because of injury, and just didn't seem to be able to afford Ben Roethlisberger enough protection for the offence to move the ball consistently. And it didn't help that their first drive of the second half ended with a punt.

But then... then it was time for the Ravens to turn the ball over. The Steelers great D stepped up and made things happen, forcing three turnovers and going up 24-21. Then the Ravens tied it with a FG after the Steelers made a huge stop (and after a Ravens TD on a punt return was called back).

And then, on 3rd and 19, with just a couple of minutes left, Roethlisberger found one of the Steelers' speedy young receivers, Antonio Brown, for a 58-yard bomb down inside the Ravens' 5. And after being stopped twice, Mendenhall rushed it in for the winning score.

Awesome. Simply, utterly, amazingly awesome. Wow.

**********

And now I suppose I have to root for the Jets over the Patriots tomorrow -- because the Steelers have a much better shot of beating the former than the later, and would host the Jets instead of having to travel to New England.

But I'm trying not to think too much about that now.

I'm ecstatic, I'm on a major sports high, and now I'm just going to sit back and watch the Packers-Falcons game (go Pack!) without being anxious about the Steelers.

**********

Oh, speaking of Steelers fans...

I have quite a bit of Steelers gear and periphernalia that I've accumulated over the years, and my kids often wear their Steelers shirts (my older daughter has earrings, too), but I've got nothing on a guy named George Danesky:

Danesky, a 62-year old semi-retired transplant from South Fayette has created nothing short of a Steelers sanctuary in the basement of his Blue Ridge, Ga., home, about 100 miles from Atlanta, near the borders of North Carolina and Tennessee.

Literally one-half of his home is completely devoted to the Steelers.

"We live in a 5000 sq.ft. house. The basement is 2500 sq. ft Every inch of that 2500 sq. ft. is painted in official NFL Steeler gold and all trim is black. The entire basement is dedicated to, used for games, partying, and display of our thousands of Steeler items," which includes jerseys, helmets, footballs, framed prints, pennants -- many of them autographed -- as well as figurines, bobbleheads, Iron City cans, banners, posters, and all manner of novelty items.

The basement is wired with 16 methodically placed 16 speakers, so that the effect is like being in the stadium. The speakers are attached to a 72 inch H.D. television.

There is a full kitchen and a 30 foot bar equipped with its own television mounted on the wall. The entire area is heated with a double sided fireplace in the very center of the room, both sides have firescreens adorned with the Steeler emblem.

A full bath and a guest bedroom, are also all Steeler decorated, including sheets, comforter and curtains and there is an area he refers to as, "the locker room" which houses all of his family's Steeler jerseys, coats, t-shirts and other clothing.  His Chrysler PT  Cruiser is decked out too, in a black and gold paint job and "GOSTLRS" vanity plates.

You might think this is lame. (It might be if it were for, say, the Jets.) If you think that, you clearly know nothing of sports fandom, which is about passion and loyalty and pride. Personally, I think it's pretty cool. And while I'll never match Danesky -- who will? -- his example certainly gives us Steelers fans something to admire. Here are some photos (the post at the Post-Gazette's Blog 'n' Gold has more):

Why I love Troy Polamalu

By Michael J.W. Stickings

I'll get back to political blogging shortly. It's been a crazy busy week at work, and I've been exhausted.

We have also, as usual, had some extremely serious posts up over the past couple of days, including Capt. Fogg's on the death penalty, Carl's on job security and Social Security, Creature's and Mustang Bobby's on Obama fatigue and exhaustion, J. Kingston Pierce's on the GOP's culture of corruption, and mine on Christine O'Donnell's anti-gay bigotry.

So let's take a quick break.

You all know how much I love the Pittsburgh Steelers, right? (We're not all Steelers fans here, mind you. Creature loves the Giants, for example.) Well, needless to say, I also love Troy Polamalu, Pittsburgh's all-pro safety and one of the best players in the league now and ever to don the black and gold (and perhaps, if he keeps going like this, a sure-thing hall-of-famer, one of the best safeties ever).

This past Sunday, in the Steelers' D-driven 19-11 win over the Tennessee Titans, Polamalu made of the greatest plays I've ever seen, an incredible play even by his incredible standards. Maybe you have to be a football fan to appreciate this, but take a look regardless. He's amazing.

Roger Waters: The Wall

By Michael J.W. Stickings

It's been a crazy busy last few days -- and, for me, simply amazing. First Pittsburgh over the weekend for the Steelers game, then a fantastic restaurant (Origin, a funky tapas place owned by a truly great chef, Claudio Aprile, the genius behind Colborne Lane, the best restaurant in Toronto) for dinner Tuesday evening, then...

Roger Waters -- The Wall!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just got home. It was AWESOME. I suppose I expected nothing less, but it seemed to surpass expectations nonetheless. It was deeply moving at times, with its anti-war message, and also mind-bogglingly transcendent -- as it always is with "Comfortably Numb." My wife and I took our 10-year-old daughter. She was skeptical going in, but she came away, I think, transformed. Yes, it was that good. (And the first show of the world tour -- we'll be going to see him again in Buffalo next month.)

And now I must get to bed. I'll get back to blogging later today.

Here we go, Steelers!

By Michael J.W. Stickings

I neglected to mention this last week, but Mrs. MJWS (the "Reactionette") and I were in Pittsburgh this past weekend for the Steelers game against the Falcons. We drove down on Saturday and got back Monday evening.

Check out the photos below.

It was an exciting game -- a 15-9 OT win for the Black and Gold -- and we had an amazing time. We love it there. Such a great city, such nice people. This was our second trip, and hopefully we'll make it an annual event.

We went to one of our favourite restaurants for dinner on Saturday, up on Mt. Washington, the fantastic Isabela on Grandview, with an absolutely stunning view of the city and three rivers below. On Sunday, we walked over to Heinz Field, down Sixth Ave., across Liberty Ave., joining the mass of Steeler Nation, everyone wearing the colours, including us, across Roberto Clemente Bridge, past PNC Park and along the river to the stadium, past the tailgaters in their boats, Steelers fans everywhere (and a few Falcons fans, too). We got there at about 10:30, just to soak up the atmosphere and watch some pre-game practice. And that we did, from the standing area behind the endzone, and we were especially excited to see Hines Ward warming up.

Seriously, it's just awesome there. Again, such nice people, such a great environment. We were up in the 500 level, with a great view of the field and the city beyond the stadium, making instant friends of the fans around us, talking football the whole time, rising and falling with the action on the field, celebrating wildly when Troy Polamalu (my favourite player) picked off Matt Ryan late in the fourth quarter, deflating when Jeff Reed missed a relatively easy FG for the win, sinking further when Atlanta won the toss for OT, picking ourselves up again when the D stood firm, and, finally, going absolutely nuts when Rashard Mendenhall ran it in 50 yards for the game-winning TD. Have I used the word "awesome" yet? I like watching football on TV, but there's nothing like being there -- for me, nothing like being in Pittsburgh in that beautiful stadium with those great fans. And when we win? It's crazy awesome.

Anyway, we hung around the stadium for a while, checking out the Walk of Fame, seeing some of the players go to their cars, then went for dinner at Jerome Bettis' Grille 36, near the stadium, and then, after a long, long, exhausting but wonderful day, made it back to the hotel.

And now, I'm just too tired to blog. But I'll be back at it tomorrow -- er, later today. So keep checking back for new posts from me and the team.

Have a good night.

-- Michael

Me and Troy

By Michael J.W. Stickings

Hello, my name is Michael, and I have a huge man-crush on the Pittsburgh Steelers' Troy Polamalu.

So I understand completely why his gorgeous hair is insured with Lloyd's of London for $1 million.

Though it seems a bit silly, and, if it weren't Polamalu, I might go so far as to call it a Sign of the Apocalypse -- not the hair, of course, the insurance policy, or the fact that such insurance policies are taken out at all (not by him, in this case, but by Proctor & Gamble (for whom Polamalu does ads for Head & Shoulders).

But I won't. Because he's awesome.

And because I'll be in Pittsburgh for the opening game of the regular season -- my beloved Steelers are taking on the Falcons -- and, with the team Big Ben-less (but with the great Hines Ward, if anyone can throw the ball to him), I'm really looking forward to seeing Polamalu and his (insured) flowing hair wreak havoc on Atlanta.

Let the Maurkice Pouncey era begin!

By Michael J.W. Stickings

For a sports fan, there was a lot to choose from on the teevee last night -- hockey and basketball playoffs, as well as baseball, and I have a digital package that includes every NFL, NHL, NBA, and MLB game -- but what kept me glued was the NFL draft. Sure, it's a manufactured, overhyped, made-for-prime-time event (this year, for the first time), and I don't pay much attention to college football anymore, but I just can't get enough of all the pre-draft mocking, with all the various attempts to figure out who's going where, and the draft itself makes for great drama. I flipped back and forth between TSN, Canada's main cable sports network that was showing the ESPN coverage, and the NFL Network. I opted mostly for the latter, even if the former is a much better production, given that I prefer Mike Mayock to Mel Kiper Jr. and Rich Eisen to Chris Berman.

Anyway, I won't get into analyzing the first-round picks here, as this post would go on far too long, but let me just say that as a Steelers fan I think the pick of Florida center-guard Maurkice Pouncey is fantastic, just the sort of improvement they need for their often less-than-impressive o-line.

I wanted them to deal Ben Roethlisberger, of whom I've had more than enough, like many other Steelers fans, but I suppose it was impossible for them to get a fair deal (maybe the Rams' first overall pick, though I hardly think Sam Bradford is a sure thing, or maybe some Raiders picks) and there's something to be said, I suppose, for standing with, and supporting, a key member of the franchise, the guy who led you to two Super Bowls during this challenging time. He seems to be something of a scumbag, and ridiculously immature, but I sincerely hope that everything that has happened will compel him to grow up, realize that what he has done is simply not acceptable, accept responsibility, and become a better person.

Roethlisberger wasn't charged in Georgia, but the NFL has punished him, the Steelers organization (including the Rooney family) and Steelers fans everywhere have expressed their anger and disappointment, and he has been publicly shamed. He will sit out at least the first four games of the regular season, but it could be six. I'm willing to forgive him, and to move on, but he must show us all that he is serious about changing. And he would do well to apologize to all those he has hurt, the women he has left in his wake.

(Oh, let me just add that the Broncos gave up way, way, way too much for Tim Tebow. I realize he's got the hype, and that he's a great character guy (if you like those Christian fundamentalists), but he's not going to be a great NFL QB. But it's too bad the Bills, our local team here in Toronto, didn't get him.)

Anyway, a trade was not about to happen yesterday and the Steelers did well to take Pouncey. I hope they address a couple of their other weak areas in the second and third rounds this evening by taking a defensive back or perhaps even a running back to back up Rashard Mendenhall. They also need depth at linebacker. Or how about a QB? Hmmm. We shall see.

(Photo of Pouncey from the St. Petersburg Times.)

James Harrison, don't be an idiot

By Michael J.W. Stickings

How can I not like James Harrison, the Pittsburgh Steelers OLB who ran back that INT 99 yards for a TD to close out the first half of Super Bowl XLIII in January, a game my beloved Steelers came from behind to win, with Roethlisberger and Holmes hooking up for perhaps the greatest catch in Super Bowl history?

It isn't just that play. Last year, Harrison was, with Polamalu (my favourite player on the team), one of the two most dominant players on one of the most dominant Ds ever. He's one of the top defensive players in the game today, and one of the greatest Steelers ever.

But, come on, what's with turning down the trip to the White House to meet the president this week? "I don't feel the need to go, actually," Harrison explained. "I don't feel like it's that big a deal to me." Well, fine -- and I realize it's not all that special: all winning teams get the WH invite (the Cardinals would have gone if they'd won). But it's a big deal to your fans, to Steelers fans, and, even just meeting the president, the team just isn't same without you. And surely it's a big deal to Dan Rooney, team chairman, who was one of Obama's most prominent supporters in Pennsylvania during the campaign and whom Obama tapped to be ambassador to Ireland.

Are you not a Democrat, not an Obama fan? Then just suck it up. (And think of all those SB winners who had to meet Bush.)

Or is it that you're just a bit of an eccentric -- a loner, a maverick? Is it that you just like to go your own way and do your own thing? Then, again, just suck it up. Deal with it. Be a team player, as they say.

You're a fantastic player and a Super Bowl champion. Even if you're not making some grand political point, don't be an idiot.

Put the Black 'n' Gold before yourself. It's the Steelers way.

All hail Punxatawney!

By Carl

Apparently, we'll have six more weeks of winter, according to Punxatawney Phil this Groundhog's day.

As opposed to the only 42 days we'd have left of winter if he hadn't seen his shadow (do the math). That's what Staten Island Chuck predicts.

Now, I suppose there's some truth to this meme. After all, the only way Phil doesn't see his shadow at the appointed time is if it's REALLY cloudy, and REALLY cloudy weather this time of year in the Northeast means it's been a very mild winter, and that moisture sufficient to cause big storms has been able to accumulate in the atmosphere.

Which means we can probably look at the large weather patterns and say that things will get warmer in a hurry. Conversely, if the skies are clear and the sun is shining, likely the air is pretty dry because it's been cold.

To true calendar watchers, the first real sign of Spring's arrival is that baseball pitchers and catchers report for Spring training in ten days. That thought warms my cockles on this first Monday in February.

Spring, of course, offers such renewal that we often overlook those things in winter that point towards the coming warm: the crocus piercing the crusty snow, or the cardinals chasing each other through the branches of the apple trees in the annual mating ritual. I guess you have to be outside for those, and that's hard when it can still be bone-chilling outside.

And then, of course, the end of football season comes around this time each year, which is the surest harbinger that winter is waning.

I watched some of that over-hyped excuse of a game last night. I'd call it "football," but, in truth, it was a game of refereeing. This is precisely why I stopped watching football when the compelling story of Joe Namath's knees ran its course (save the occasional Richard Todd or Ken O'Brien game). It had stopped being the game I played as a kid, a game of innovation and execution, and had turned into "who could piss off the ref the least."

It reminded me of school. Or life under a Republican president. And I don't think it's a massive surprise to find that Republicans enjoy football more than Democrats. It is the ultimate expression of fascism in America, or was until Dick Cheney was VP.

Besides that, I don't have to call it a football game because every damned sentence out of an announcer's mouth was reminding me that it was either a football or NFL game. Think about it: what was the last sentence to come out of John Madden's mouth that didn't include "football"? "I take thee as my lawfully wedded wife"? Cuz I'll bet the next sentence was "To have and to hold, in sickness and in football health..."

It's, like, his "you know," you know?

Seriously, guys, you can save a lot of us a lot of annoyance if you drop "football" from your vocabulary. I recall many years ago, NBC experimented broadcasting a game without announcers. It was a delight not to listen to (pick your favorite announcer) talk about how that running back carried the football or this defensive end really is hungry for the football.

I recommend a thousand dollar fine and fifteen yard penalty on the defensive team anytime any announcer takes it upon himself to remind us that the twenty two men wearing helmets and shoulder pads on the field are playing football.

Just the spectre of having Troy Polamalu beating the crap out of me after the game would be enough to keep me from ever speaking the word again.

Yes, the last two minutes of the game were something special... again, if you factor out the fifteen yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct that the referees just had to call that had nothing to do with the play as it unfolded and could have been better handled with an immediate expulsion of the player and a hundred grand fine.

I worked out in my head how the game would have gone if the referees had just been disappeared. I figure the Steelers would have won 14-0 after scoring twice in the first half, and the game would have been over long before "Cash4Gold.com" (?!?!?!?!?!?!?! D-huh???) had it's Super Bowl commercial.

Wait.... was NBC so that hard up to sell commercial time that "Cash4Gold.com" was able to buy ad time in the fourth quarter???

That's really all I needed to say to write this column.

(Cross-posted at Simply Left Behind.)

Super Bowl XLIII -- STEELERS WIN! STEELERS WIN! STEELERS WIN! STEELERS WIN! STEELERS WIN!

By Michael J.W. Stickings

UPDATED BELOW.

Enjoy the game everyone. Personally, I'm a nervous wreck right now.

Go Steelers!

I'll be back later, maybe with some comments at halftime. (Fair warning: If Pittsburgh is losing, I'll be in a really, really bad mood. And if they lose the game, well...)

-- Michael

**********

Well... wow. That was sort of a tale of two entirely different quarters, with the Steelers dominating the first and the Cardinals the second.

Once again -- and this has been the story all season -- the Steelers' special teams are a huge problem. Terrible punting and, on Breaston's long punt return, bad coverage.

Big Ben's interception pass was something a fluke, tipped at the line, but it was the incredible TD interception return by NFL defensive player of the year James Harrison, obviously one of the greatest plays in Super Bowl history, that, as of right now, is the difference.

What worries me is that with the Steelers D focusing so heavily on Fitzgerald, who had just one catch in the first half, the Cards are actually moving the ball really well -- yes, I just agreed with Matt Millen, who just made that point -- with Warner finding James in the flats and a number of different receivers open, including Boldin, who's a fine receiver in his own right, on passing plays. And one thing about Warner is that he's a really smart QB. He may not be all that mobile, but he can pick up coverage and blitz packages and get rid of the ball quickly, as he did in the second quarter, when the Cards were able to move the ball at will against the league's top D. If he can continue to do that in the second half, and if the Steelers don't get more pressure on him -- they got some, but not nearly enough -- the Cards could very well pull this out.

On the other side of the ball, give the Cards' D credit. They may not have been the Steelers or the Ravens or the Eagles during the regular season, but they're having an outstanding postseason. In the second quarter, they pretty much shut down Parker and the Steelers' running game and, from what I could tell -- because you can't see the downfield coverage on TV -- they didn't give Roethlisberger a lot to throw to. I wonder about Ward's health. He caught a big pass on the opening drive, but he's been quiet otherwise. To me, the Steelers need to try to spread the field with Holmes and Washington while sending Ward and Miller on shorter routes.

The point it, the D may not be able to win this one for the Steelers, Harrison's TD aside. The Cards look like they'll be able to put up a lot of points in the second half. To beat them, the Steelers are going to need to do the same.

**********

Great, great performance by The Boss. (So much better than Tom Petty last year.) I'm not a huge fan, but he's pretty awesome tonight. Most energy at a Super Bowl halftime show ever.

**********

Well... wow again. What a game. What a game. What a game. It really looked like the Cards had it, that on this day their offence, mainly Warner to Fitzgerald, was simply better than the Steelers' defence. And perhaps it was. But then Big Ben and Santonio Holmes led the Steelers down the field on one of the most exciting game-winning drives I've ever seen, capped off by Holmes's incredible TD catch. (Holmes for MVP? Yes. And so deserving.)

Pittsburgh Steelers 27

Arizona Cardinals 23

What a whirlwind of emotions, so many ups and downs throughout the game. But it was like the Steelers' entire season -- so many close games, so much tension, so much anxiety, so many last-minute, or last-second, game-winners.

And, honestly, I just can't believe it. Still. I can't. Not after Fitzgerald put the Cards up with just over a minute to go. I thought that was it, and I was beginning the process of coming to terms with it.

You know, it's hard to be a sports fan, it's hard to love a team. I know a lot of you know what I mean. You put a lot into it, as crazy as it may seem, and you connect emotionally with it in a deep and profound way, in a way that really matters to you, that is meaningful to you. When your team loses, you take it hard, and it's like a kick in the gut. But when it wins... when it wins... when it's like today... when it's the Super Bowl... and when, for me, it's the Pittsburgh Steelers... it's awesome.

Awesome.