The Nation: January 2006

Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Mitch Albom Article About The Steelers

Kim Brown from Baltimore, MD sent me this article from Mitch Albom. Most of probably know him from Sunday mornings on ESPN with the show The Sports Reporters.

MITCH ALBOM: Motor City quickly turns to Steel City
January 25, 2006

BY MITCH ALBOM
FREE PRESS COLUMNIST

Not to rush things, but we've already picked our team.
In fact, less than five minutes after the Super Bowl foes were determined, Detroit had its mind made up.
We're going with Pittsburgh,
We like Pittsburgh.
We are Pittsburgh.
"Who do you think is gonna win?" fans here ask me.
"Pittsburgh," I say.
"YES!" they say.
That is not a normal reaction for the Motor City, which, last time I looked, was not located in Pennsylvania.
But the Steelers are clearly Detroit's choice, and if you pushed me to give you one good reason, I'd hem and I'd haw, then I'd give you 100.
The first 50 are Jerome Bettis. He is from Detroit. He went to school in Detroit. His parents live in Detroit. He eats. He smiles. He knocks people over.
He's as close as we get to a Lion in the Super Bowl. Besides, Bettis cemented his favorite son status on the sidelines Sunday, when he screamed, "We're going home!" We are not used to people being that excited about a trip to Detroit. Usually, it's, "Aw, do we have to?"
We like Jerome Bettis.
We are Jerome Bettis.
But there's more.
We're for facial hair and a prominent chin
Ben Roethlisberger is our kind of quarterback. He grew up in the Midwest, he played in the MAC, and he looks like a hockey enforcer. He's big, the way we grow 'em around here, and he's shaggy, the way we like 'em around here.
Ben's beard? We like Ben's beard. Remember unshaven Kirk Gibson during the 1984 World Series? Remember the bearded Red Wings when they finally won the Stanley Cup?
We like Ben's beard.
We are Ben's beard.
Then there's Bill Cowher. Are you kidding me? He's the football coach this town has been coveting for the last 30 years. We want them tough. We want them angry. We want Bill Cowher, but we keep getting Marty Mornhinweg, which makes us want Bill Cowher even more.
No offense, but if kidnapping were legal, we'd lock Cowher in Ford Field and force him to coach the Lions this year.
Then there's the city.
Pittsburgh is a blue-collar town. Detroit is a blue collar-town. Pittsburgh is a union town. Detroit is a union town. Pittsburgh makes steel. Detroit makes cars that are made of steel.
They're on three rivers. We're on a river and a lake.
It snows there. It snows here.
No offense, Seattle, but we can't get a city that doesn't have a hockey team.
We're against colors with funny names
Did we mention ownership? The Steelers have the kind of ownership Detroit fans dream about. One family. One name. One old man passing it down to his kids.
That's the way we do it. Only when Pittsburgh does it, the name is Rooney, and it produces four Super Bowl championships. When Detroit does it, the name is Ford, and it produces squat.
We like Pittsburgh's ownership.
We want Pittsburgh's ownership.
Seattle's ownership baffles us. A computer billionaire? That's a Pacific Northwest thing. So are Seattle's colors. We like Pittsburgh's colors, yellow and black. The colors of a traffic sign. Seattle wears teal, or sea green, or some shade belonging to the marine world. That works for them. But we don't know from the marine world. We don't know from Seahawks. We named one of our franchises after a car part (Pistons). So we can relate to a team named after a building material.
The Steelers are our choice. We have adopted them as if they were our own. Come next week, Detroit will feel like a home game for Pittsburgh.
But Seattle fans shouldn't feel bad.
After all, it's not as if the home team at Ford Field has done a lot of winning.
Contact MITCH ALBOM at 313-223-4581 or malbom@freepress.com.

Sunday, January 29, 2006

Steelers Pep Rally

30,000 turn out for Steelers pep rally
Saturday, January 28, 2006By Moustafa Ayad, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Alyssa Cwanger, Post-Gazette photosMaria Wilkinson, 10, left front, and Emily Caligiuri, 10, front center, both of Morningside, cheer for the Steelers at a Super Bowl XL pep rally last night at Heinz Field.Click photo for larger image.

More Super Coverage:
Super Bowl XL Pep Rally Photo Journal
When Ethel Merle turns 100 on Super Bowl Sunday, she'll be busy rooting for the Steelers
It seemed like everyone was there -- the young quarterback who plays with the heart and mind of a veteran; the receiver with the Cheshire Cat grin and the running back who has endured 13 punishing seasons without a Super Bowl ring.
Oh, and the guy with the body bag strapped to his Jeep; the septuagenarian wearing a canary-yellow suit coat and black-and-gold briefs; and the Abraham Lincoln impersonator.
An estimated 30,000 loyalists crowded into Heinz Field yesterday for a pep rally to send the Steelers off to Super Bowl XL in Detroit. They whooped and hollered, waved Terrible Towels and created enormous traffic jams that one cop likened to those on a football Sunday.
Fans painted their faces black and gold and donned jerseys of their favorite players. Some recalled the Steelers' heyday and stars like Jack Lambert and Rocky Bleier.
One fan wore a Neil O'Donnell jersey. Mr. O'Donnell was the last quarterback to lead the Steelers to the Super Bowl, throwing two interceptions in a 27-17 loss to Dallas in 1996.
"This is amazing," said fan Mel Dithrich. "How can you not be a fan of this town?"
Mr. Dithrich, 77, himself was a big part of the spectacle, clad in a ruffled mustard-yellow prom shirt, a canary-yellow suit coat two sizes too small and a pair of black-and-gold briefs, as he shook hands with other fans outside the stadium gates.
Anthony Seretti, district chief of an ambulance service in McKees Rocks, brought a body bag from work, which he had stuffed and strapped to his Jeep Cherokee to represent the "12th man" -- the moniker adopted by Seattle Seahawks fans.
"The Seahawks' 12th man is dead -- DOA," said Mr. Seretti, 28, as fans walloped the corpse with Terrible Towels. He plans to drive to Detroit Friday with the body bag, despite not having tickets to the game.

Steelers Ben Roethlisberger and Jerome Bettis leave the stage following a Super Bowl XL pep rally at Heinz Field last night. The event was a salute to AFC champions as they head to Detroit.Click photo for larger image.
Through lines of people wearing whatever black-and-gold articles they could find -- pajama bottoms, boxer-briefs over khakis and even a pair of bright-yellow tights, one speck of Detroit blue stood out in a corner near a restroom.
In a Detroit Lions skull cap and light blue jersey, albeit a No. 7 jersey, Gerry Heintz looked as if he was hiding from raiding hordes of black and gold. The central Michigan transplant might have been booed a little, but he also was high-fived and congratulated for representing the last stop on the Steelers road to a hoped-for championship.
"If Pittsburgh is going to Detroit," said Mr. Heintz, "I thought I would bring them a little piece of Detroit."
Even Abraham Lincoln, in all his tall-hatted glory, joined the throngs of Steeler faithful.
Gliding through the Coca-Cola Great Hall, Rick Miller, a Lincoln presenter, had strapped two Steeler bandanas to his Lincoln top hat and wore a Terrible Toga, which was a set of old curtains he had remade into a poncho-like yellow dress.
President Lincoln was undoubtedly a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, Mr. Miller said.
What about the Illinois native's Chicago Bears?
Well, the answer was simple to Mr. Miller -- Lincoln got more votes in Pennsylvania.
Inside the stadium, nearly all of the lower level seating area was filled, and fans cheered highlights on the Jumbotron and were serenaded by the Povertyneck Hillbillies.
Then, it was time for the players to take the stage.
"We carry Pittsburgh in our hearts wherever we go. ... And you better believe, when we come back, we will have one for the thumb," said running back Jerome Bettis.
"Wow, this is amazing. You guys make us go out and play with passion in our hearts each and every Sunday," wide receiver Hines Ward said.

Mario Retires

Growing up in the late 1980's there were three people I looked up to in sports. Andy Van Slyke, Rod Woodson, & Mario Lemieux. The other two have since retired leaving only Mario left over from my late childhood. Mario announced his retirement from the Penguins as a player this past week. It was a sad day for hockey in Pittsburgh, but it is time to see him sit down. Let Sidney and the kids play. Here is a pic of Mario and Ben sitting in Mario's box for the Pens first home game since being retired. Mario brought us the cities last championships to the burgh in the early 90's, hopefully Big Ben will being the first football championship home in the last 26 years.

Meet 'Seven'

This article was taken from the Post Gazette last week.

Meet Seven and his mom, Stephenie Barber.
Seven was born Oct. 26, 2004, between Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's fourth and fifth consecutive victories of his rookie season. Although Seven's parents -- who live in Indiana, Pa. -- are often asked whether they named their son after Mr. Roethlisberger, they were actually inspired by another Western Pennsylvania institution: After driving by an 84 Lumber sign, they "decided to go with something numerical," said Mrs. Barber.
When Seven watched his first game, however, the connection to Mr. Roethlisberger was instant. "We realized it was Seven and Seven," said his mother. "It became too cool."
Seven has never missed a Steelers' game, often carries his Terrible Towel with him from room to room and has been known to dance to the "Here We Go, Steelers" fight song. Although Seven had to settle for wearing an infant-sized Jerome Bettis jersey last season, this time around No. 7 Roethlisberger jerseys come in even the smallest of sizes.
His grandmother, Barbara Barber, has bought him Roethlisberger jerseys in every size up to a men's adult large, just in case they're no longer available when Seven grows into them.
"We buy him everything that has a seven," she said. "He's the perfect fan.

More About The Steelers Nation

Last week we had fun making fun of the Baltimore Sun writer and his utter ignorance about the Steelers Nation. A few days later another editorial was written that I believe is worth reading. Enjoy...

Rooting for Steelers takes me to family's Pittsburgh roots
By Mary Beth Kozak
Originally published January 26, 2006

Pittsburgh has waited 26 years for a ring for its thumb.I was not born when they last won the Super Bowl.
I grew up a Steelers fan, and while most people in Baltimore cringe when I admit that, I can't help but grin.Although I have lived in Maryland the majority of my life, I spent my summers and every major holiday in Pittsburgh with my grandparents.Many ask me why I never relinquished my devotion to the Steelers.The answer is simple.The Colts escaped in the middle of the night in 1984. I was 3. I had no ties to the team, and if you had asked me what color its uniforms were back then, I'd probably have said pink and purple because those were my favorite colors.The Cleveland Browns became the Ravens in 1996 and by then, it was too late.When the Steelers made the playoffs this season after falling to 7-5, I was relieved. But nothing could prepare me for the wild ride on the road to the Super Bowl.I never fathomed they could defeat the AFC's top three seeds. When the players emptied the water cooler on coach Bill Cowher in the final minute of the Steelers' 34-17 win over the Denver Broncos on Sunday, a thousand memories rushed through my mind - the first of which was of my grandfather.There are always many references to Pittsburgh being a blue-collar city. It is filled with loyal people who work hard and love their football.The Steelers and their city have a long and rich history that intertwines far from the playing field.My grandfather worked for Heyl & Patterson, a structured steel plant, for 40 years. Many members of my family worked in the plants and mills, and the Steelers were a topic that could make them forget their troubles - even if only for an afternoon.I have vivid memories of sitting with my grandfather watching the Steelers and later resting on the porch while I listened to him discuss the team with the neighbors.I grew up listening to stories of the Steel Curtain dynasty (although I admit for the first seven years of my life I couldn't understand why anyone would want curtains made of steel). Terry Bradshaw, Lynn Swann, Franco Harris, John Stallworth and Jack Lambert were mythical figures to me, but they have all been present at our dinner table at one time or another.I have always admired the Pittsburgh organization from the Rooneys to the coaches. Art Rooney knew what he was doing when he bought the expansion team, then the Pirates, in 1933.He knew the people, he knew the city and he knew they would embrace a team with a hard-nosed work ethic and style.Since 1969, the Steelers have had two head coaches, Hall of Famer Chuck Noll and Cowher.Pittsburgh loves loyalty. The Rooney family and the fans know that and are proud to embrace their success.My favorite player when I was young was Swann because he took ballet to improve his balance and flexibility. My favorite thing to do during the games was to wave my Terrible Towel.Many people may not know the Terrible Towel was created because of the Baltimore Colts. In a 1975 playoff game against the Colts, Pittsburgh broadcaster Myron Cope told the fans to grab the yellow towels out of their kitchens and wave them around to create a more intense environment.With all the talk of Jerome Bettis finally going home to play in his first Super Bowl and probably the last game of his 13-year career, I couldn't help but smile because he and his team finally brought me home.My grandfather has since passed away and his house is a shell of what it once was. My family has moved on and has begun its own Sunday traditions with the next generation of Steelers fans - starting with my 4-year-old niece. I hope that as she gets older, the Steelers will bring her home, as well.

marybeth.kozak@baltsun.com

Understanding The Steelers Nation

A lot of us grew up listening to WDVE with Paulsen and Krenn and the DVE Morning Show. Greg and John Papp both sent me this letter written by Scott Paulsen. It is worth the read. Enjoy...

Nation Building
January 18, 2006
Scott Paulsen

Think about this the next time someone argues that a professional sports franchise is not important to a city's identity:

In the 1980's, as the steel mills and their supporting factories shut down from Homestead to Midland, Pittsburghers, faced for the first time in their lives with the specter of unemployment, were forced to pick up their families, leave their home towns and move to more profitable parts of the country. The steel workers were not ready for this. They had planned to stay in the ‘burgh their entire lives. It was home.
Everyone I know can tell the same story about how Dad, Uncle Bob or their brother-in-law packed a U-Haul and headed down to Tampa to build houses or up to Boston for an office job or out to California to star in pornographic videos.
All right.
Maybe that last one just happened in my family.
At this same time, during the early to mid-eighties, the Pittsburgh Steelers were at the peak of their popularity. Following the Super Bowl dynasty years, the power of the Steelers was strong. Every man, woman, boy and girl from parts of four states were Pittsburgh faithful, living and breathing day to day on the news of their favorite team. Then, as now, it seemed to be all anyone talked about.
Who do you think the Steelers will take in the draft this year?
Is Bradshaw done?
Can you believe they won't give Franco the money – what's he doing going to Seattle?
The last memories most unemployed steel workers had of their towns had a black and gold tinge. The good times remembered all seemed to revolve, somehow, around a football game. Sneaking away from your sister's wedding reception to go downstairs to the bar and watch the game against Earl Campbell and the Oilers - going to midnight mass, still half in the bag after Pittsburgh beat Oakland - you and your grandfather, both crying at the sight of The Chief, finally holding his Vince Lombardi Trophy.
And then, the mills closed.
Damn the mills.
One of the unseen benefits of the collapse of the value systems our families believed in – that the mill would look after you through thick and thin – was that now, decades later, there is not a town in America where a Pittsburgher cannot feel at home. Nearly every city in the United States has a designated “Black and Gold” establishment. From Bangor, Maine to Honolulu, Hawaii, and every town in between can be found an oasis of Iron City, chipped ham and yinzers. It's great to know that no matter what happened in the lives of our Steel City refugees, they never forgot the things that held us together as a city - families, food, and Steelers football.
It's what we call the Steeler Nation.
You see it every football season. And when the Steelers have a great year, as they have had this season, the power of the Steeler Nation rises to show itself stronger than ever. This week, as the Pittsburgh team of Roethlisberger, Polamalu, Bettis and Porter head to Denver, the fans of Greenwood, Lambert, Bleier and Blount, the generation who followed Lloyd, Thigpen, Woodson and Kirkland will be watching from Dallas to Chicago, from an Air Force base in Minot, North Dakota, to a tent stuck in the sand near Fallujah, Iraq.
I have received more email from displaced Pittsburgh Steelers fans this week than Christmas cards this holiday season.
They're everywhere.
We're everywhere.
We are the Steeler Nation.
And now, it's passing from one generation to the next. The children of displaced Pittsburghers, who have never lived in the Steel City, are growing up Steelers fans. When they come back to their parents' hometowns to visit the grandparents, they hope, above all, to be blessed enough to get to see the Steelers in person.
Heinz Field is their football Mecca.
And if a ticket isn't available, that's okay, too. There's nothing better than sitting in Grandpa's living room, just like Dad did, eating Grandma's cooking and watching the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Just like Dad did.
So, to you, Steeler Nation, I send best wishes and a fond wave of the Terrible Towel. To Tom, who emailed from Massachusetts to say how great it was to watch the Patriots lose and the Steelers win in one glorious weekend. To Michelle, from Milwaukee, who wrote to let me know it was she who hexed Mike Vanderjagt last Sunday by chanting “boogity, boogity, boogity” and giving him the “maloik”. To Jack, who will somehow pull himself away from the beach bar he tends in Hilo, Hawaii, to once again root for the black and gold in the middle of the night (his time), I say, thanks for giving power to the great Steeler Nation.
All around the NFL, the word is out that the Pittsburgh Steeler fans “travel well”, meaning they will fly or drive from Pittsburgh to anywhere the Steelers play, just to see their team. The one aspect about that situation the rest of the NFL fails to grasp is that, sometimes, the Steeler Nation does not have to travel. Sometimes, we're already there.
Yes, the short sighted steel mills screwed our families over.
But they did, in a completely unintended way, create something new and perhaps more powerful than an industry.
They helped created a nation.
A Steeler Nation.

Animal Cruelty?

Greg and a fellow co-worker both sent this update to me. Does anyone know if the "Seahawk" is on the protected species or endangered animals list?

In The Headlines: A wave of animal cruelty has the World Wildlife Federation up in arms. On the first day of this new year a lion was found viciously mauled. A week later, a bengal tiger was discovered horribly beaten. While the lion only had fresh wounds, the tiger appears to have been suffering regular beatings for years. Just seven days after that, a colt was found battered. People at the scene said it kept muttering something about not getting enough protection. Hours ago, Denver authorities found another horse, this time a bronco, wandering the streets. The horse was not physically injured, but quite dazed and confused. When asked about the incident, the hapless horse said "I was at home and everything was fine. I was about to feed my pet snake when he started choking and screaming about some sort of terrible towel following it around." Rumor has it that the next target will be some sort of bird, a seahawk. All of the victims report trying to peek behind a giant steel curtain shortly before their incidents. As a result, the following warning has been issued to all animals: Peek behind a steel curtain, get hit by THE BUS. GO STEELERS!!!

Priceless...

Greg Mumich from Monroeville, PA sent me this "classic". Just thought I would share it with the rest of the Steelers Nation.

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Steelers To Wear "Road" Jerseys For Big Dance

Steelers Notebook: On the road with white jerseys
Wednesday, January 25, 2006By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Figuring if it ain't broke, don't fix it, the Steelers chose to wear their white road jerseys in the Super Bowl even though they are the "home" team.
Keith Srakocic, Associated Press
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, right, wearing the team's black home game uniform, passes against the Baltimore Ravens in their October game at Heinz Field.
Michael Conroy, Associated Press
Roethlisberger, wearing the Steelers' away uniform colors, fires a pass during the Jan. 15, 2006, NFL divisional playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts in Indianapolis.
They had first choice and they picked white because they wore white the past three playoff games, all on the road.
Coach Bill Cowher said they chose their road uniforms because, "we're on the road. We're not playing at Heinz Field."
The Steelers became only the second team in history to reach the Super Bowl by winning three road playoff games, and they obviously want to stick to that theme. If they beat Seattle, they would be the first to win three on the road and go on to claim a Super Bowl title.
Also, as the home team Cowher chose to have his team conduct all the morning interviews at the Super Bowl, which will allow them to pursue a more normal day with practice in the afternoon.
The Steelers players have off until tomorrow. They will practice three days, have off Sunday and fly to Detroit Monday.
The Steelers wear their black uniforms at home and at some games on the road when the home team wears its white jerseys. Although Cowher said it was his decision to pick white, he did have input from others in the organization.
"I didn't think too much about it. I don't think it's that big of a deal what jersey color you're wearing. Maybe that's just me. They wanted to know whether we were going to wear away jerseys or home jerseys. We're not playing at Heinz Field, so if we're not playing at Heinz Field, to me, that's an away game. I think anyone can understand that rationale. That's what I was thinking. If it's a sensitive issue to people, I'm sorry."
Cowher said he's not superstitious but that: "We've been playing well the last three weeks on the road. This is the fourth game on the road. I don't know if it's superstitious, but that's what I'm thinking."
The Steelers wore black in Super Bowl XXX, where they lost to Dallas, 27-17.

Team...

In Rod We Trust

Rod Woodson was one of my all time favorite Steelers. He was the honorary captain for the Steelers on Sunday. Here are some great pics of Rod with former team mate Darren Perry(our current secondary coach on the Steelers staff), former team mate Jerome Bettis, and the fans.

Signs From Invesco Field

Steelers @ Broncos

The AFC Championship Trophy

Check out the first pic of Mike Logan. Most of you know him as "McKeesport Mike", but Chase, Dave P, and myself know him as a fellow alumnus and classmate of ours from our days at West Virginia University.

Our Field General

Steelers Nation Video

For those of you who know me well, you will get a laugh when you watch and listen to this video and song. Not exactly my cup of tea. I am more of a Stones, Skynyrd, & Allman Brothers type of guy. But I like this song and video. Check it out.

http://www.youtube.com/w/Steelers-06?v=t1AD4U0rThg&search=Steelers

Do You Think The Seahawks Understand Smash Mouth?

Here is what the Seahawks have in store for themselves. Click on the link to see the Bus barreling over Brian Urlacher.

http://www.youtube.com/w/steelers---RIDE-the-BUS?v=jaIc-8RG8kM&search=Steelers

Steelers Tribute Video

Check out this very professionally made Steelers video from Youtube. Click on the link to view.

http://www.youtube.com/w/Steelers-2006-Tribute?v=zKqT7VKwMhc&search=Steelers

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

What A Moron?

Here is an article that appeared in today's Baltimore Sun. What a freakin' moron? Anyways, I highlighted his e-mail address if anyone wants to forward him a little good natured ribbing...Happy hunting...

Ill feelings harder than steel
By Kevin Eck
Originally published January 24, 2006
There's nothing more exciting for an NFL fan than having a strong rooting interest in the Super Bowl, and I haven't been this fired up since the Ravens made it to the big game in January 2001.This time, of course, there's a much different reason for my passion. Like most of my fellow die-hard Ravens fans, I hate the Pittsburgh Steelers almost as much as I love the boys in purple.
Every season I hope for four things. First and foremost, it's that the Ravens win the Super Bowl. After that (in order), it's that the Steelers, Washington Redskins and Indianapolis Colts don't win it.Yes, my disdain for the Steelers is such that I would rather see Daniel Snyder or Jim Irsay hoisting the Lombardi Trophy than anyone from Pittsburgh. In fact, when the Colts and Steelers met in the playoffs on Jan. 15, I got my old Colts helmet out of mothballs and cheered for Peyton Manning as enthusiastically as I did for Bert Jones when I was 8.The reasons for hating the Steelers go beyond the fact that they are an AFC North rival. For starters, there's Bill Cowher's chiseled chin, Joey Porter's motor mouth and Jerome Bettis' bloated belly. And, by the way, is it really necessary to show Bettis' parents on camera every time he touches the ball? Momma and Papa Bus are the most annoying relatives of a Pittsburgh athlete since Pirates outfielder Omar "Sweetie" Moreno's wife incessantly blew her whistle in the 1979 World Series.It's the Steelers fans, however, that are truly loathsome. Has there ever been a more overbearing, obnoxious, foul-mouthed, slovenly bunch? And that's just the women.But as irritating as Steelers fans are, with their ridiculous towels and "One for the Thumb" slogan, Ravens fans have always had plenty of comebacks for their boasts and taunts.We love to tell them, for example, that they've had that same slogan - in regard to the Steelers' quest for a fifth Super Bowl ring - since Jimmy Carter was in the White House. There's also the matter of Cowher's record in AFC championship games at home - an embarrassing 1-4.I was in attendance at Three Rivers Stadium for the Steelers' loss to the Denver Broncos in the January 1998 AFC championship game. There, in a sea of black and gold, a friend and I were decked out in Ravens gear from head to toe, cheering on John Elway (sure, he spurned Baltimore and might have been partially responsible for the Colts' leaving town, but on that day we were on the same side).I'll never forget how the Steelers fans laughed at us and said that being at that game was the closest we'd ever get to the playoffs. They weren't laughing three years later.You want to really get under the skin of a Steelers fan? Just mention that the Ravens' first trip to the playoffs - in only their fifth year in existence, no less - resulted in a Super Bowl win. And when they counter with the fact that the Steelers have won four championships to the Ravens' one, I quickly correct their math and tell them it's 4-4. When you factor in the Baltimore Colts' two NFL championships and one Super Bowl crown, Baltimore has won just as many football titles as Pittsburgh.And that's why it's so important that the Seattle Seahawks make sure the Steelers' 25-year title drought continues. Can you imagine, as insufferable as Steelers fans are now, what they'll be like if they do win another Super Bowl? All of our standard comeback lines will be as worthless as a Bubby Brister retro jersey.I didn't think there was any chance of that happening when the Steelers were 7-5 and it seemed possible they wouldn't even make the playoffs. But after what the Steelers have accomplished the past three weeks, even I have to admit that they are going to be tough to beat.I got a bad feeling the moment Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer went down with a serious knee injury on his first pass. That bad feeling intensified when the Colts couldn't convert Bettis' unfathomable fumble into a touchdown and Mike "He Never Misses At Home" Vanderjagt didn't come close on the field-goal attempt.And when Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey missed a chance at an interception and a sure touchdown early in the game and instead deflected the ball to Hines Ward for a first down, I knew the Steelers were bound for Detroit.Knocking out the opposing team's starting quarterback, deflected passes going for big plays, improbable missed field goals - it all reminded me of the Ravens' magical Super Bowl run five years ago.There's still one game to go, though, and I'm holding out hope that, unlike the 2000 Ravens, the Steelers really aren't a team of destiny.Come to think of it, even though I didn't want to see the Steelers make it this far, how great would it be to see them choke in the Super Bowl? To see their fans once again have to use their silly towels to wipe away their tears after another devastating loss in the postseason? Now I really can't wait until Feb. 5.
kevin.eck@baltsun.com
Kevin Eck is an assistant sports editor at The Sun and a Ravens season-ticket holder.

Steelers Nation Attacks NcDevins

The answer is no. Anita and Kim are not touching Dianne's breast, they are merely covering up a fashion faux pas. Someone wore an Eagles shirt to a Steelers party. Go figure... Left to right are Anita Hetrick originally from Cumberland, MD, Dianne Hansen Originally from Philly, and Kim Brown originally from Indiana, PA. In the second pic is Pat Bind originally from Latrobe, PA, Melissa Streett originally from Elizabeth, PA, and Jonathan Rocca(a freakin' Ravens fan) originally from New Jersey. Bottom pic you have myself, Pat, and Melissa.