Steelers Style 2005

The Steelers held their annual charity fashion gala recently.

STEELERS STYLE 2005

Steelers players and their families hit the runway for Steelers Style 2005, a high-style, high-energy fashion show.The event, which was held at the Pittsburgh Hilton Hotel, combined a dinner and fashion show produced by Saks Fifth Avenue.The show benefited the Thomas E. Starzl Tranplantation Institute at UPMC and the Cancer Caring Center.

Here are some pics from some of our more popular Steelers. In September I sent a pic of Troy and a female that I assumed was his girlfriend from training camp this year in Latrobe. In going through the pics from the fashion show on the Steelers site I noticed that this lady was actually Troy's wife named Theodora.

Polamalu On Cover Of SI.

Troy graced the cover of the SI NFL Midseason Report issue in November. He is having a banner year for us this season. With James Farrior out of the lineup for several games this fall, he was called upon even more his leadership skills. In my opinion he is having a season worthy of being nominated for the NFL's Defensive Player Of Year award.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05311/602062.stm

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Depressing...

I was quietly optimistic going into the Colt's game. I really thought that we could dictate the style of the game and that we have may have advantage over them because of our size. I thought that we may be able to play smash mouth football, control the clock, and not allow Manning to ever get on track and establish a rhythm. I was grossly wrong. I will leave that debacle in the past. We have an upcoming game against da Bungles which is now even more important considering what transpired on MNF. If we can win on Sunday we can again control the division, however if we were to lose, we may have an uphill battle in even reaching the playoffs. Enough with the losses. I want to hand out gameballs and talk about wins...

You Grew Up In Steelers Country If...

1. You didn't have a spring break from high school.
2. You often go down to the "crick".
3. You have "warshed" the clothes.
4. I ask you to hand me one of those "gum-bands" and you actually know what I am talking about.
5. You know you can't drive too fast on the back roads because of the deer.
6. You know Beaver Valley, Turtle Crick, Mars, Slippery Rock, Greentree, and New Castle are all names of towns.
7. A girl walks up to three of her friends and says; "Hey yinz guys".
8. You hear "you guyses", and don't think twice about it. "Your guyses house is nice".
9. Someone refers to the "Mon" or the Yough" and you actually know what they are talking about.
10. You remember the blizzard of 1993 or 1976 or etc.... and remember not being able to go outside because the snow was over your head and you would have suffocated.
11. Someone starts the chant, "Here we go Still-ers" and you join in, in proper cadence, waving a terrible towel.
12. You drink pop, eat hoagies, love pierogies, and one of your favorite sandwiches actually has coleslaw and french fries "ON" it.
13. You know what a "still mill" is.
14. You expect temps in the winter to be record breaking cold and temps in the summer to be record breaking hot.
15. You know what Eat N' Park is and frequently ate breakfast there at 2:00 AM after the bar closed and made fun of people.
16. You order "dippy eggs" in a restaurant and get exactly what you wanted.
17. You have been to Braun's Bread Plant or Story Book Forest for a school field trip.
18. You refuse to buy condiments besides Heinz unless a Pittsburgh athlete's picture is on the side of the container.
19. When you call a dog or child you shout, "Kum-mear", and they actually come.
20. Franco, Roberto, and Mario don't need last names and you can recite their exploits by heart.

Anyone Check Out Kenny Chesney In Concert Last Evening?

For those who do not know who this is, he is one of the bigger musicians on the country music scene right now. This past summer he held a series of stadium concerts across the country. One of the venues he played was Heinz Field. I had previously came across pics on the Steelers site of the concert, and in my mind I was curious who he was a fan of in the NFL. I knew he was a huge University of Tennessee fan, and I knew that him and Peyton Manning were friends. I figured that he was either a Titans or Colts fan. I watched the concert last night primarily to look at Heinz Field and to catch a glimpse of him and a possible reference to the NFL. He was wearing a Titans hat for a majority of the behind scenes shots, so the mystery is solved. Here are two pics of Dan Rooney presenting Kenny with a Steelers jersey. I thought they were kind of cool. Too bad he isn't a Steelers fan!

Do You Remember Tony Dungy?

I know from following the Steelers that Tony Dungy used to play for the Steelers as a defensive back during the late 70's, and got at least one Super Bowl ring from his days as a Steeler. I do not remember this and only know from listening to people that this is true. I do remember him as being part of Chuck Noll's coaching staff, and then he went on to become the Bucs and now the Colts head coach. Seeing that we play Dungy and Colts on MNF this week, I came across a pic that I thought all of you may like to see.

http://media3.steelers.com/article/59503/

Possible Low Point For the 2005 Season.

If you are anything like myself, you may still be a little depressed with our performance on Sunday against the Ravens. I was happy to see the Steelers in person, but disgruntled with the effort on the field. Several of you have e-mailed or called me with comments and criticism with Tommy Maddox. I will not attempt to defend him, and I think we need to address the backup QB position in the off season. Is Charlie Batch our backup or do we look elsewhere for the number two? I love Tommy to death. I think he is a great guy, does a lot for the community, and had a heck of a run for us a couple of seasons ago. His nickname in college was "Turnover Tommy". In the past I could deal with his immobility and being turnover prone because of the way he carried himself both on and off the field. He no longer has that swagger and it is evident that the team does not believe in him by the way they react and follow his lead. His confidence is shaken, and he has lost that "Gun Slinger" mentality he used to have. I do not think he will ever get it back at his age, and I hate to see his last days in Pittsburgh end this way. That being said, life goes on... We have a much larger issue to deal with...The undefeated Indy Colts. There is a possibility that we could lose our next three games against the Colts, Bengals, & Bears. I do not see this happening, but it just goes to show the quality of the next three opponents. In the NFL you need to win the the games you "should win". The Baltimore game was one of those games. Remember both this past game and the Jags game come January. Two lost opportunities. One player does not make a team, but it surely illustrates how important Big Ben is to this team. My closing comment about the Baltimore game is a comment directed at Bill Cowher. Why did we not bring Ben in for a couple of series against the Ravens to shake off some of the rust? If we were concerned about him getting hurt, why allow him to dress? Bring Rod Rutherford up from the practice squad! End of story.

Parker Scores Against The Ravens!

Willie Parker scored in the fourth quarter on Sunday to tie the game up at 13-13. The close up was taken by a Post Gazette photographer and the wide angle was taken by me when he crossed the goal line to show the crowd reaction.

Views From M & T Bank Stadium.

More Blitzburgh People!

Here I am with Penny McLaughlin from Oakland, MD. Rumors have been circulating around the lake that she has been seen with Casey Hampton. No confirmation to the rumors as of press time.

Scrimmage?

I thought this was a pretty cool scene. Some kids before the game drew sides to play a little football scrimmage game. The "Little Ravens" played the "Little Steelers".

Looking For Numbers To Play?

Do you play the lottery? You may want to consider playing 7-7-7. I sure hope that we play "7" against the Colts. Brian, Ben, & myself get geared up for the game.

Wearing The Colors!

Showing a little team spirit are more members of the Steelers Nation. Brent Bowman(Jamal) Baltimore, MD but originally from Cumberland, MD, Brian Koch(Big Ben) Wilmington, DE but originally from Greensburg,PA, and Brian's fiance Melissa(Troy) display their team colors prior to the game. Brent had a restless week. He knew that we all were getting together for a tailgate before the game and had ordered a Tim Worley throwback jersey just for the special occasion. The jersey did not arrive in time, hence the Jamal Lewis jersey. We will keep our eyes open in the upcoming weeks for a pic of Brent in the Worley jersey...

Ben & His Bodyguards.

Several of us in the Steelers Nation got together for some tailgating festivities prior to yesterday's Steelers-Ravens game at M & T Bank Stadium. The first pic is of Ben Pugh, originally from Somerset, PA and now living in Elkton, MD and his better half Crystal Delacruz, originally from Connecticut. The second pic is of Crystal showing her support for Big Ben and our Steelers. The last pic is of Crystal and Ben's cousins all originally from PA. With Ben wearing the Big Ben jersey and talking with a serious Western PA accent, he required a security detail all day to keep autograph seekers away. "Yenz guys..."

Our Team Shows Their Support For The Men In Black!

A couple of us play in a co-ed football league in Baltimore County. This past Saturday marked the end of the regular season. By winning on Saturday the "Hopeful Humpers" qualified for the post season with a 7-0-1 record(That seriously is our team name.). We did not know if we would qualify for the playoffs or not, so we planned on taking a team pic after the game. The second pic is of the whole team. I think we are missing maybe two or three players. The first pic is of the Steelers fans on the team. Everyone now resides in Baltimore but grew up following the team from the steel city. From left to right are Pat Bind originally from Latrobe, Kim Brown originally from Indiana, PA, Scott Ford originally from Richmond, VA, myself, and Anita.

http://www.baltssc.com/

Lambert demonstrates how to "smack" Baltimore!

Possibly the best middle linebacker to play in the NFL shows how to properly play "smash mouth football" and "smack" Baltimore(the Colts, not Ravens, but we all know how Baltimore lost their team in 1983).

Images from last December.

Baltimore came to Pittsburgh last December only to get smacked in the mouth 20-7. It was the day after Christmas, it was cold, and we played smash mouth football. I was thinking about that game this morning and I went onto the Post Gazette archives trying to find a picture from that game where Bettis ran around the left end and then proceeded to run over Ray Lewis. I tried to find a pic of the play, but to no avail. I did find however a bunch of other cool pics from the game.

A Wave Of Discontent

A wave of discontent
Hoping to send a message about their displeasure with the team, many Ravens fans are selling their tickets to Sunday's Steelers game
By Jamison Hensley
Sun Reporter
Originally published November 18, 2005
Motivated by making a protest more than a profit, local fans are willing to give the Ravens a home-field disadvantage Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers.Even the most loyal season-ticket holders are selling their seats this week to their hated division rivals in an attempt to voice their displeasure over the worst start in Ravens history.
With thousands of tickets available on eBay and through ticket brokers, it has been estimated that between 10,000 and 15,000 Steelers fans could invade M&T Bank Stadium, waving their trademark Terrible Towels and filling up a quarter of the seats with their black-and-gold jerseys."This season has been demoralizing," said Gene Edwards, 42, of Severna Park, a self-proclaimed "die-hard" season-ticket holder since 1996 who is selling his upper-level seats on eBay. "This team has to stand up and recognize that this city enjoys winning and that's what we've got to get back to."Traditionally, Steelers fans have made the four-hour drive from Western Pennsylvania to buy between 3,000 to 5,000 tickets at Baltimore's 70,107-seat stadium.Scott Bryant, 43, of Nottingham tried to keep Pittsburgh from turning M&T Bank Stadium into Heinz Field East, offering his three upper-level seats for the price of two to Ravens fans. After there was no interest, he decided to put them up on eBay."I think it shows [Ravens fans] are kind of upset," said Bryant, another season-ticket holder since the franchise relocated here 10 years ago. "Maybe this will send a message to the right people about how things are going."The Ravens' baseball neighbors, the Orioles, have experienced similar problems. It has been an annual irritation to see fans of the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox take over Camden Yards.Steelers fans have the chance to make their best showing in Baltimore because of the Ravens' struggles. There has been growing disinterest - and anger, some Ravens fans say - over the team's 2-7 record and likely its first losing season in three years."It's one of those things where I feel bad to contribute to [Steelers fans coming to the game]," said Mike Hughes, 30, of Bel Air, who is also selling his upper-level tickets on eBay. "But considering the situation, people have better things to do and they can make quick money."But the money isn't as much this year as in previous ones.Scott Mogar, 33, of Frederick, said he "easily" got three to four times the face value of his tickets in the past. This year, that's not the case with so many Ravens fans willing to sell."Luckily, I'll make double [the face value]," Mogar said.The rivalry between the Ravens and the Steelers has intensified over the years with the teams annually fighting for the AFC North title.With so much on the line when the teams play, Edwards said he usually looks forward to battling Steelers fans in the stands. But not this year."If I went, I could only shake their hands and say, 'Yup, you're the better team,'" he said. "This is crazy and disheartening. I hope [the Ravens] lose all their games and get the No. 1 pick in the draft so they can trade it for three offensive linemen."Many fans expressed frustration over the constant losing. Others vented about the inability to score touchdowns.But selling their tickets to Pittsburgh fans won't spur the Ravens to change, Mogar said."I don't think it will because [the Ravens are] so tuned out," he said. "A dollar is a dollar to them. As long as they're making their money, nothing will happen. If the stadium were empty, then that would send a message. But I don't see it."Ravens coach Brian Billick said an increased number of Pittsburgh fans at the game would be a reflection of the success of the Steelers (7-2) and not a negative statement by their fan base."I certainly hope you're not trying to present that our fans have thrown in the towel and will sell their tickets cheaper this year than they have in previous years," Billick said. "Our fans are smarter than that and they are too street-savvy. Even if they might want to dump [tickets] off, they're going to get a premium price. So if you're going to sell them, baby, get a premium price."Billick said he would prefer for Ravens fans to cheer the team on but understands why they would sell."Hell, for the right price, I'll sell my ticket," Billick said. "You can't afford it, but I do have a price just like everybody else."
Notes // With Ben Roethlisberger still not ready to return from a knee injury, Tommy Maddox will be the Steelers' quarterback in Baltimore - the team's third starter in a month. ... There are no Ravens questionable on the injury report. Cornerbacks Dale Carter (thigh) and Zach Norton (ankle), running back Musa Smith (lower leg) and defensive back B.J. Ward (hip) were upgraded to probable. Only linebacker Ray Lewis (thigh), safety Ed Reed (ankle) and guard Keydrick Vincent (thigh) are out.

This article appeared on the front page of the sports section in the Baltimore Sun on Friday, November 18th, 2005. What do you think? Do you think this could ever happen in Pittsburgh?

AFC North Update

The 7-2 first place Steelers head to the 2-7 last place Ravens on Sunday for a 1:00 showdown. This had originally been slated as a 4:15 national tv audience, but it has lost it's luster due to the unexpectedly poor season from the Ravens. The Ravens played their most inspired and best game of the season against our Steelers on MNF a couple of weeks ago, but the season is virtually over for the men in purple. This week in Baltimore the talk out of the Ravens front office has been of starting to evaluate talent for next year. It was just announced this afternoon that Tommy Maddox will start for us on Sunday. Ben will dress and be the number two QB. I am concerned and definitely think this a game we need to not overlook. Ray Lewis and Ed Reed will be out of the line up, but you can expect another great effort out of the Ravens just because they hate the Steelers so much. If you look inside the numbers you will see that the Ravens are the lowest scoring team in the league averaging nine points a game while allowing 17.1 through nine games. In other AFC North games Indy travels to the 7-2 second place Bungles in a 4:15 contest. The Colts are undefeated so far, and this is definitely a game they could potentially lose. The Bungles have the same records as the Steelers, but the Steelers have the edge in the tie break due to a Steelers 27-13 win on 10/23. The 3-6 third place Brownies host the Dolphins in a 1:00 contest to round out the division.

Views From Heinz Field.

A couple of weeks ago we discussed Three Rivers Stadium & Heinz Field. I recently came across some pictures I took two years ago of Heinz Field. Hope you enjoy!

Steelers @ Ravens

The Steelers come to visit my newly adopted hometown this weekend. I am pretty excited about going to see the boys in black and gold play. Normally the Baltimore faithful hate anything to do with the Steelers so it will be interesting to see what numbers and what passion they will bring to the game for their football team. Both of these pics are from two years ago when we lost to the Ravens 10-7 in OT on Sunday night football for the last game of the season. We struggled into the off season to lick our wounds at 6-10 and the 10-6 or 9-7 Ravens went into the playoffs riding high only to be smacked around by the Titans. Pittsburgh and Baltimore usually means a pretty strong version of smash mouth football. My favorite type of football! The first pic is me, Miss Anita, Brent & Carisa Bowman( both Ravens fans from Baltimore but originally from Cumberland, MD), and Steve Sommers(Brownie fan from Baltimore but originally from Erie, PA). We will be setting up a tailgate if you are going to the game. Get up with me if you would like to attend.

Hines passes Stallworth for All Time Lead!

There are a lot of "good guys" who play for our Steelers, but some we cheer a little louder for because of the type of individual they are both on and off the field. Hines Ward is one of these guys. Hines Ward is the heart and soul of the team and embodies the spirit and work ethic that can be found in the Steeler Nation. He is one of the good guys. Plain and simple. When he caught the pass to to rewrite the Steelers record book I jumped off the couch as I would if it would have been a game winning touchdown. I was really happy for him from a professional standpoint. (Now we just have to get both him and Jerome a ring.) Some people may be unaware of this, but Hines has taken over the long list of Steelers greats who have given back to the community through the hosting of an annual golf charity event. More info can be found on the Steelers website if you are interested in possibly playing in the future.

2005 HOGE·STARKS·WARD CELEBRITY
GOLF CLASSIC FOR CHILDREN benefiting the HIGHMARK CARING FOUNDATION

TO BENEFIT FAMILIES IN WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA BY RAISING FUNDS TO PROVIDE FREE HEALTHCARE BENEFITS FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS AND FREE GRIEF SUPPORT SERVICES FOR CHILDREN, ADOLESCENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES WHO ARE STRUGGLING WITH THE DEATH OF A PARENT OR SIBLING.

Here is more info on his record setting catch:

http://www.postgazette.com/pg/05318/606250.stm

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/football/bal-sp.steelers17nov17,1,597078.story?coll=bal-sports-football

http://media3.steelers.com/article/59166/

http://media3.steelers.com/article/59342/

Ex-Steeler Steve Courson died yesterday in an accident.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05315/604635.stm

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05320/607057.stm

Both of these articles are from a Pittsburgh perspective. To be honest, I was too little of a kid to really remember much about this when it was going on. Here is another slant or take on all of this from the Baltimore Sun.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/football/bal-sp.courson16nov16,1,7989982.story?coll=bal-sports-football

Kordell is released by the Ravens!

Kordell Stewart was released by the Ravens yesterday to make way for running back/special teams player Musa Smith.

Kind of a dreary day here in Baltimore, this may get you going!

http://www.steelersfever.com/audio/12.zip

Play this song if you need a pick me upper today. It came out late last season and is a cover of a Buffet song we all love and know. Have a good day.

Three Rivers Stadium or Heinz Field?

This was the last poll question I asked with the Steelers Nation Newsletter. I thought this would have been as good as a place as any to start up again with.

"Three rivers has all that history. heinz field marks the new beginning of a new era. I think I'll have to pick three rivers because I have those fond memories of eating breakfast in the endzone club before the game and then walking right out those doors and standing on the edge of the endzone's backline. watched our boys warm up from the sidelines, then headed to 50 yd line seats for the game. those were incredible times. " Pat Bind of Baltimore, MD originally from Latrobe, PA.

"I think that Heinz Field is hands down a better facility. The problem is that is does not have any sense of history yet. As soon as we get our first ring for Heinz Field, and the fifth for our thumb, I will place Heinz Field ahead of Three Rivers. My only criticism of Heinz Field is the open end towards the river. I wish it was closed in and the place would even be louder and more rocking than it already is." JD from Baltimore originally from the lake.

"Found this old proposed architectural design for threerivers on a web site. Thought it tied in with yourquestion of the week. This design looks real cool interms of view.My opinion is you can't beat the dual sports venuessuch as Three River or Memorial. Baseball and footballin one place, it doesn't get any better. However, thegiant ketchup bottle at Heinz is a nice touch. I thinkthe Ravens should consider a contract with a hugeconglomerate that would result in a giant mustardbottle behind the goal post. Every time we get apenalty the bottle could spray yellow confetti intothe air." Brent Bowman of Baltimore, MD originally from Cumberland, MD.

Check out the drawing that Brent found on the net of what a proposed view of what Three Rivers would have looked like!